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Tall Blacks salvage pride with Australian upset

Saturday 25 August 2007, 6:02AM

By infonews.co.nz

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The Tall Blacks ended a torrid week on a high note with a 67-58 upset of Australia's Boomers in the third and final Oceania Olympic qualifying series basketball match in Brisbane tonight.

Led by improved performances from Phill Jones and Craig Bradshaw, New Zealand registered just their second win on Australian soil but it was a few days too late with the Boomers already having sealed the series 2-0 on Wednesday.

In a low-scoring encounter, New Zealand led 28-24 at halftime, trailed 41-45 at the three-quarter break but held their nerve in the final five minutes to seal a deserved win.

Jones had clearly his best game of the week with 17 points and 12 rebounds, US-based forward Bradshaw added 15 points while captain Pero Cameron was again a big presence, scoring 11 points and adding eight rebounds and six assists.

For the Boomers, Brad Newley topscored with 14 points.

The Tall Blacks now face a tough pre-Games qualifying tournament next year against top sides from Europe and South America, although doubt remains whether levels of funding will allow them to compete.

Tonight's result was at least a welcome tonic for a forgettable few days after the Tall Blacks carried high expectations into the series.

It was a typically messy `dead' match with only pride at stake, the Boomers having already booked their ticket to the Beijing Olympics and the Tall Blacks still hurting from their 93-67 loss in game two in Sydney on Wednesday.

The Tall Blacks led 18-12 after an agonising opening quarter as both sides struggled to hit their shots.

Bradshaw, who was well contained in the first two matches, finally saw some space and clocked up nine points in the first quarter.

The Tall Blacks built an eight-point lead at one stage as the Boomers shot poorly.

The hosts shot just 27 percent from the field in the half while the Tall Blacks were only marginally better at 32 percent including just two of 10 three-point attempts.

The New Zealanders at least were stronger on the rebound at both ends through Cameron, Jones and Bradshaw as missed Australian shots gave them plenty of chances.

As in the first two matches, the visitors dozed after the break and Australia stepped it up to the third quarter 21-13 with their new star guard Patrick Mills chiming in with some moments of magic.

But a Cameron basket with 6min 30sec left saw New Zealand hit the front 46-45, a lead they maintained until the end.