FOSHAN (FIBA U16 Asia Championship) - Tamuri Wigness exploded for 24 points as Australia overpowered New Zealand in their Semi-Final match to move on to the FIBA U16 Asia Championship Final.

The Crocs waxed hot from the field, shooting a collective 68%, to rout the Junior Tall Blacks, 86-61. The contest started tight as New Zealand kept in step with the unbeaten Aussies in the first half and trailed by a manageable margin, 47-36. Mitchell Dance, Shalom Broughton and Tom Cowie were leading the charge for New Zealand, and they were holding their own even until the end of the third quarter, 62-52, but it was all Australia when the final period started. Behind the shooting of Wigness, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Luke Jackson, Australia broke the game open and never looked back, leading by as many as 29 points en route to their fourth victory in a row.

Wigness hit a perfect 10-of-10 from the floor and also had 3 assists and 2 steals. Lo Buluk also impressed with 21 points on 8-of-13 field goal shooting, while Jakson added 19 points and 6 boards. Luke Travers flirted with a rare triple-double, recording 11 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.

New Zealand, for their part, were paced by Broughton's 14 points, while Cowie added a dozen of his own. Dance scored 10 points, though he shot just 4-of-12 from the floor. The Junior Tall Blacks can still finish on the podium with a win tomorrow in the battle for third place.

Australia will be awaiting the winner of the match between hosts China and the Philippines, while New Zealand will face the losing side.

FIBA