Giants top NBL as Saints win
Dominant performances from two of New Zealand’s best young basketballers have earned the Nelson Giants and Wellington Saints National Basketball League victories.
Giants forward Finn Delany scored 33 points in his side’s 101-86 win over the Supercity Rangers yesterday, while Saints guard Shea Ili had 27 in their 80-77 win over the Bay Hawks.
Nelson’s win takes them top of the NBL ladder at 6-2, while the Saints moved to second on 5-1. The Hawks remain fifth on 4-3, while the Rangers are last at 0-8.
At TSB Bank Arena in Wellington, Ili continued his scoring form for the Saints, while Majok Majok grabbed another double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds. LJ Peak added 19 points.
For the Hawks, Australian big man Angus Brandt was strong with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Ethan Rusbatch was hot early before finishing with 18 points.
The first quarter was a defensive arm wrestle which the Hawks got the better of to lead 20-14. The Saints shot just 27 per cent from the field, while the Hawks were only marginally better with 37 per cent.
The Saints worked their way back into the game throughout the second quarter as their shooting improved, briefly leading before going into halftime down 40-38.
The third quarter was another dour struggle as poor shooting, including numerous missed open layups, as well as good defence conspired to see the teams score a combined 29 points scored between the two teams.
The Saints led 54-53 heading into the final quarter. The game seesawed throughout the final quarter, but the Saints came up big in the clutch, especially Ili, who nailed a three and then turned a steal into a layup for Peak in decisive back-to-back plays with three minutes to go.
In Te Awamutu, Delany again impressed for the Giants, adding six rebounds and three steals to his 33 points. Australian guard Kyle Adnam proved a worthy foil, adding 20 points of his own, which was matched by team-mate Damon Heuir.
The Rangers clung on through the first half thanks to a solid team effort. Devon Scott would end up leading them in scoring 22, but four other players reached double figures.