Australia dominate opening of trans-Tasman basketball
The Boomers and Opals have taken an early lead in the Trans-Tasman Throwdown at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night.
Adelaide 36ers captain Dejan Vasiljevic’s perimeter brilliance in front of his home NBL audience and a third-quarter masterclass of smothering team defence have launched the Boomers to an 80-68 victory over New Zealand in the opening game of the inaugural Trans-Tasman Throwdown tournament.
Australia were behind the eight-ball in the opening two quarters in front of 8447 fans, before seizing total control with a 23-9 third term.
Vasiljevic (23 points) and Perth Wildcats guard Elijah Pepper (16) knocked down five three-pointers each in the first meeting between the two countries since the 2022 Asia Cup semi-finals in Jakarta, which the Boomers won, and the first bilateral series between the rivals since 2015.
“Really pleased with our defensive effort in the second half,” Australia coach Dean Vickerman said.
“Once we really sat down and slowed down their pace, we made it more difficult for them to put their feet in the keyway.
“There will be really good learnings from that one about how we get better as a group.”
New Zealand Breaker Reuben Te Rangi paced the Kiwis with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Melbourne United’s Shea Ili contributed 12 points.
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With former 36er and Chicago Bulls star Josh Giddey sitting courtside with the Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels, voted the NBA’s 2024-25 Most Improved Player, the Boomers were sluggish out of the blocks.
The tourists, behind veterans Te Rangi and Ili, attacked the paint hard to lead 27-23 on Tohi Smith-Milner’s layup on the quarter-time buzzer.
Vasiljevic single-handedly kept the Boomers afloat in the first half, hitting a pair of triples early in the second stanza to briefly give the hosts the lead.
NZ snatched it back through Te Rangi and finished the half on an 8-2 run to hold sway 42-37 at the main break.
Ili had the 22nd-ranked Tall Blacks leading world No.7 Australia 46-39 early in the third and the visitors’ advantage was still led 51-48 before they crumbled spectacularly.
From 6:08 remaining in the third quarter to 8:38 left in the fourth, NZ missed 14 straight shots and were outscored 15-0 in the face of the Aussies’ withering defence.
The Boomers’ buffer swelled to 18 as Pepper caught fire in the fourth.
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Earlier, debutant Miela Sowah’s sharp shooting and captain Stephanie Reid’s dogged defence have carried the Opals to an 88-70 win in the trans-Tasman clash.
After threatening to power away early, Australia saw their lead slashed to a single point in the fourth quarter before responding emphatically with a 21-2 surge down the stretch.
Perth Lynx guard Sowah top-scored with 23 points, while Reid made life hell for the Tall Ferns’ backcourt, racking up five steals and two blocks in an impressive display of defensive basketball.
Townsville Fire duo Alex Fowler and Courtney Woods, also both debuting in the green and gold, scored 12 and 11 off the bench, respectively.
“For the most part, consistently, at the defensive end of the floor was where we were at our most solid,” Opals coach Paul Goriss said.
“That’s something we want to hang our hat on. I think we remained calm throughout (the NZ fightback).
“I don’t think we panicked at any time and we stayed the course.”
Forward Sharne Robati (19 points) was easily the Tall Ferns’ best in the first meeting between the two sides since the 2023 Asia Cup bronze-medal match in Sydney, which Australia won, and the first bilateral series between the rivals since 2015.
Robati scored eight of the tourists’ 11 first-quarter points but the Opals had more contributors early and took control 27-17 at the break.
NZ, ranked 26th in world, had the better of second-ranked Australia across the middle two quarters, starting with a defence-dominated, scrappy 13-12 second term to cut the home side’s lead to nine at half-time.
The Aussies missed all six three-point attempts in the third stanza, while the Tall Ferns found their range to knock down five-of-seven, riding an 11-1 burst to win the quarter 27-22 and trim the gap to 61-57 at the last break.
NZ further cut the deficit to 67-66 and had all the momentum, before the Opals went on a match-sealing tear.
Led by Reid’s defence, the Tall Ferns’ turnovers mounted in the closing stages, allowing Sowah, Fowler and Woods to prosper at the other end.
The second of the three-game series will be at Sunshine Coast’s UniSC Arena on Friday.
