Turnovers hurt Tall Blacks

Pero Cameron’s Tall Blacks have suffered their first defeat in Fiba World Cup qualifying play as turnovers and rebounding issues came back to haunt them against Lebanon in Beirut.

In a Group E, second round matchup of two teams that have already clinched spots in next year’s World Cup, Lebanon produced a surging second half to overturn a sixpoint halftime deficit and unsettle Cameron’s largely inexperienced lineup, missing a raft of unavailable frontliners. New Zealand and Lebanon are now tied at the top of Group E with 6-1 records.

The Tall Blacks, featuring Alex