ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - New Zealand have seized pole position in Group B following a 101-82 victory over Chinese Taipei in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025, Monday evening at the MBank Arena.
The Junior Tall Blacks figured in a nip-and-tuck affair with their East Asian counterparts early but got going in the second chapter, never to be denied toward staying spotless in the tournament with a 2-0 record.
A win against the Philippines on Tuesday, September 2, 16:30 local time at the Buyant Ukhaa Sport Complex would enable the crew to lock the no. 1 spot and book a ticket to the Quarter-Finals set on September 5.
Marco Sula submitted his best game yet with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists to lead the NZL boys.
Brigham Hakaraia delivered 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists off the bench. Liam Keogh also finished with 12 points to his name, and laced it with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 of the team's 7 steals.
Elijah Tuupo and Lawson Pryor added 11 points apiece as five players finished in double digits in the victory that saw New Zealand collect 62 rebounds - that, after grabbing 79 versus Indonesia on opening day.
Sooner, the 2023 runners-up will turn their attention to Gilas Youth, which are entering Tuesday's match in high spirits as they broke through after pulling off a 65-60 escape against Timnas in a rivalry affair.
The Filipino dribblers came in as a favorite after beating the same team convincingly in the SEABA Qualifiers' Final at home last May, only to face a squad hungry for payback that an upset appeared imminent.
Game was tied at 56-all with less than five minutes to go but Andwele Cabanero gave the Philippines the lead for good with a layup off a drive, before Jolo Pascual and Prince Carino came in to keep their foes at bay.
Pascual himself nailed a crucial trifecta to push their lead at 63-57 with only 38 seconds left, and Carino would go on to settle the final count with a cleanup of Ethan Tan-Chi's missed free throws in the closing moments.
Tan-Chi led Gilas Youth with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Pascual made 11 points and 5 assists while Cabanero added 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals as they bounced back after losing to Chinese Taipei Monday.
Chinese Taipei and Malaysia would be the other Group B game on Tuesday, set for a 19:00 tip-off time.
FIBA