Gilas, Tall Blacks, Boomers handle business in bubbles

OKINAWA (Japan) & MANILA (Philippines) - The FIBA Basketball World Cup veterans took care of business against their counterparts over the first days inside the Manila and Okinawa bubbles.

New Zealand dominated India in their first game, 101-46, in the first day in Manila. On the following day, India forced the Philippines to put in a bit more effort, but the bubble hosts were eventually able to claim the win 88-64.

Meanwhile in Okinawa, Australia cruised past Chinese Taipei with a 98-61 win.

Vets will be vets

“We pride ourselves on being a full team and every man steps up and does his job and today I did pretty well I guess."

The Tall Blacks had no problem whatsoever in their first game of the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers, dominating India from start to finish. New Zealand started the game with a 32-8 first quarter and continued to dominate the rest of the way.

The top three scorers for New Zealand were also their most experienced veterans in Tom Vodanovich (21 points), Ethan Rusbatch (18 points), and Rob Loe (15 points). While each brought more to the table than just scoring, it was Loe who shined brightest with an additional 10 rebounds and 6 assists.

India had one player scoring in double-digits in Sahaij Pratap Singh Sekhon who put up 10 points.

All hands on deck

"There's so much potential out there and it’s great to see them out there playing so hard and really try to represent the country the right way."

- Nick Kay

There was no stopping the Boomers in their first game in Okinawa as they blasted out to a 48-22 lead in the first half. While Chinese Taipei did put up an inspiring effort in the third quarter, outscoring Australia 30-22, but there was just not enough in the tank to pull off the upset.

All players were able to get on the scoreboard for Australia, and they did so efficiently by shooting 57.4 percent from the floor and a blistering 41.7 percent from the three-point line.

Team captain Nick Kay led the team with 14 points and also did a little bit of everything else with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. 22-year-old Alex Mudronja was among one of the impressive youngsters that littered the Boomers roster for this window and put in 13 points while missing only 2 of his 7 attempts from the field.

Chinese Taipei put up a good effort, especially in the aforementioned third quarter, sparked by the play of national team debutant William Artino. The center had to play physical to keep up with the Boomer’s big men and ended up with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Lin Bing Sheng also had a good game with 12 points on 50 percent shooting and 3 steals.

More fun in the Philippines

"That's all that was in my head coming into the game I was like, it was my first time playing [at Araneta], it has to be a win."

Not only did the Philippines get the win over India, they did so by entertaining an excited crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, something that they had not been able to do in a long while.

There were some worries in the stands about whether Gilas would be able to pull it off as India kept the lead within single digits through most of the first half, but the Philippines pushed through and kept their composure.

Leading the way for the Philippines were their two young stars Dwight Ramos and Thirdy Ravena, who combined for 32 points. Ramos looked as if he was headed for another perfect game in the first half, but missed a few shots in the later parts of the game while still ending up with a 66.7 percent conversion rate from the floor.

Meanwhile, Ange Kouame roamed the paint for the Philippines and contributed with big plays on both ends with blocks and dunks, totaling for 6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.

Despite the loss, India proved to be much more impressive in their second outing, especially on the glass. India’s rebounding cause trouble for the Philippines in the first half, especially from Prashant Singh Rawat. The youngster played with energy from start to finish and ended up with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

FIBA