The Junior Tall Blacks produced the best performance of their European basketball tour, but one disastrous quarter saw them fall 70-76 to Japan at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Mannheim, Germany.
In a classification game for placings 13-16, New Zealand led 37-31 at halftime, but were outscored 23-9 in thecrucial third period as victory slipped through their fingers. It was the only quarter they lost during a game which saw Nelson guard Chris Duthie and Porirua forward Jordan Ngatai compile double doubles.
The Junior Tall Blacks enjoyed a crushing rebounding advantage, grabbing 26 offensive boards, but again squandered these opportunities with poor shooting including a 37 per cent field goal success rate and five from 28 three-pointers. Ball retention was also a problem, as they coughed up 22 turnovers.
Captain Max Williams led his team in scoring with 16 points, while Duthie sunk 15 points and snared 12 rebounds. Ngatai also impressed with 12 points and 16 rebounds.
New Zealand now faces Argentina, surprisingly winless in the tournament, in a playoff for 15th place.
Result: Japan 76 NZ Junior Tall Blacks 70 (Max Williams 16, Chris Duthie 15, Jordan Ngatai 12). Halftime: 31-37.
