NANJING (China) - Giannis Antetokounmpo would not be denied a berth in the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, leading Greece past New Zealand, 103-97, to close Group F action in Nanjing, China.

Greece started strong in this game, leading by nine points after the first quarter thanks to Antetokounmpo's 11-point explosion, but New Zealand weren't going down without a fight. Bucking early foul trouble plaguing big man Isaac Fotu, the Tall Blacks leaned on the hot hand of prolific guard Corey Webster, who scored 21 points in the first and second periods, to stick around, 51-44, at halftime.

Coach Paul Henare's wards continue to fight toe-to-toe with the Greeks in the second half, but they couldn't mount a big enough rally to overhaul the deficit. Even with some late-game three-point bombs, the Tall Blacks fell short, and once the final buzzer sounded, it was Antetokounmpo and his teammates who raised their fists in joyous triumph.

Turning Point: New Zealand last threatened when center Rob Loe sank a three-pointer to trim the gap to just 82-77 with 5:11 left to play, but that sparked the Greeks to play with much more aggression and urgency. Behind heroics from Nick Calathes, Kostas Sloukas, and both Antetokounmpo brothers, Greece put the game away and punched their tickets to join Team USA and Czech Republic in the newly formed Group K.

TCL Player of the Game: To nobody's surprise, Giannis Antetokounmpo was named TCL Player of the Game after recording his best World Cup performance to date. Playing over 30 minutes, Giannis tallied 24 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals while shooting 6-of-10 from the field. It was certainly a fitting performance for the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player.

Stats Don't Lie: New Zealand have always been known to be a physical squad, but that physicality cost them dearly in this meeting as they were tagged for 32 fouls that led to 37 Greek free-throws. Coach Thanasis Skourtopoulos's side made the Tall Blacks pay by hitting 73 percent of their freebies. In contrast, New Zealand shot just 15-of-25 from the line.

Bottom Line: Greece badly needed this win to exorcise the demons of their upset loss to Brazil and to secure their continued contention for the World Cup trophy. Giannis also needed a breakout game, and that's exactly what he delivered. For Greek fans, this is a good sign as their team advances against much tougher adversaries in the next round.

 
They Said: "We struggled a little bit in the third, and we had too many turnovers. [About the Classification Round] I haven't looked that far yet, we were focused on this game. It's a disappointing result." - New Zealand center Rob Loe  

"It was a tough battle to start the game. There was some excitement, but we didn’t start the game well. Greece is an amazing basketball team with a lot of talent. We are going to try to finish this tournament the right way." - New Zealand head coach Paul Henare

"It was a tough game for us because we lost the previous against Brazil. We had to win. New Zealand are a dangerous team as you could see. We had to stay focused for forty minutes, we fought a lot and we managed to control the rebounds." - Greece head coach Thanasis Skourtopoulos

"Obviously, it was a good game for us. New Zealand, they are vey good. They run, they shoot threes. We played well on our defense. We are happy to go to the next round, to the next city. He [Corey Webster] was unbelievable. Actually both brothers. We have played throughout the years, and those two guys they gave all they had." - Greece guard Nick Calathes

FIBA