CAIRNS (Australia) - Both Australia and New Zealand fielded young talents aplenty in their FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers rematch, in which the the Boomers came away with a 81-52 win.

The win served as revenge for the Boomers who lost to the Tall Blacks exactly one year ago. Australia head coach Adam Caporn fielded a roster of talented youngsters mostly in their teens in this game and the players displayed impressive poise and control, resulting in a victory.

Reyne Smith started the game with the hot hand for the Boomers with 11 points in the first quarter alone and finished with 22 points on 6 three-pointers.

As the game progress, 17-year-old Dyson Daniels also emerged as a promising prospect that had a debut to remember for Australia. The smooth operating guard carved up the defense for a team-high 23 points on 9-18 with 4 assists. He also terrorized the passing lanes for 6 steals and should now expect to see his name highlighted in future scouting reports.

Coach Caporn should be highly pleased with the team effort from his young players which allowed them to outrebound New Zealand 51-38, force a total of 22 turnovers, and commit only 8 turnovers on their own end.

New Zealand also assembled a roster filled with young talents, highlighted by 10 players making their Tall Blacks debut. They were even able to cut the lead down to as close as five points in the second half before Australia applied pressure to break away for good.

18-year-old Taine Murray was impressive in yet another senior national team outing for New Zealand, finishing with 14 points to lead the squad.

Both teams are now tied up with a 2-1 record throughout the Qualifiers with Australia holding control of the tie-breaker.

FIBA