New Zealand beat Angola but fail to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics - FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament
On Wednesday, the third and final day of the preliminary round in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men, team New Zealand pulled off a stunner against their much fancied opponents Angola, 68-64. However their efforts
proved insufficient in taking them into the next round.
Facing at elimination in case of a defeat, the Kiwis needed a big win to keep their Olympic dreams alive. That however did not happen as Angola put up a dogged resistance throughout.
With all three teams tied at 3 points after two games apiece, Macedonia and Angola will proceed to the next round on the basis of better point differential.
New Zealand opened the game with a 7-0 run and were leading by 11-3 nearly midway through the first quarter. Kiwis stretched their lead to 14-6 deep in the period, but were pegged back by six unanswered point by Angola in the last
minute, making it 14-12.
Tai Webster erupted for the Islanders early in the second quarter. The 6 ft 1 in point guard sank a couple of three pointers to start 10-3 run, which he capped with a deuce with 6:20 remaining in the break.
Angola replied with a two pointer, only to see Webster knock down another shot from the land of three. Leon Henry followed with another one on the next Kiwi possession and with 1:41 to go, yet another three from Henry made it 35-19.
Inside the last minute, New Zealand stretched the lead to 40-22, before Angola scored the last 4 points of free throws to reduce the deficit to 14, 26-40.
The third quarter belonged to the Africans. Starting with an 8-0 spurt, they outscored New Zealand 26-18 in that frame and pretty much eliminated their chances of qualifying for the 1/8 playoffs.
Eduardo Mingas scored six points in the crucial 8-0 run and then started the fourth quarter with a layup to bring Angola at 54-58.
In the ensuing passage though, Rob Loe scored five straight points to put the Kiwis ahead by 9, but for the next four and half minutes, the New Zealanders failed to score even a single point, allowing the Angolans with three, at
63-60.
A three by Lindsay Tait finally broke the jinx, but by then it was already too late.
Tait scored a jumper a little later, and despite a 68-64 win, the Kiwi campaign ended with the game.
Webster ended the game with 21 points for them; Henry had 15 and Loe finished with 13.
For the Angolans, Mingas notched up a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Olimpio Capriano chipped in with 11 points.
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