FIBA Basketball
NZL - Pero: We had the gold in our hands
MELBOURNE (Commonwealth Games) - New Zealand captured a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games on Friday but that was not much consolation for Tall Blacks captain Pero Cameron
MELBOURNE (Commonwealth Games) - New Zealand captured a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games on Friday but that was not much consolation for Tall Blacks captain Pero Cameron.
Victory over Australia in their own backyard would have been cause for an incredible celebration back in New Zealand and they led 73-69 with just over three minutes remaining but the Boomers came from behind to win 81-76.
Cameron, who will play for the New Zealanders later this year at the FIBA World Championship in Japan, said: "It's gone. I can't describe how I feel. It was in our hands and now it's gone.
"We worked ourselves into a good position to get a win on Australian soil and it's gone.
"We missed some great shots in the third quarter."
Cameron did have praise for his team-mates.
"It's hard to swallow but I'm very proud of the guys," he said.
Aaron Olson, who contributed 13 points and six rebounds for New Zealand, added: "We came in to win gold. We put so much effort into this, but you can't disrespect silver.
"It's always tough to down to your arch rivals and losing to Australia is tough to swallow."
From Mike Perez, PA Sport, Melbourne Exclusively for FIBA
Victory over Australia in their own backyard would have been cause for an incredible celebration back in New Zealand and they led 73-69 with just over three minutes remaining but the Boomers came from behind to win 81-76.
Cameron, who will play for the New Zealanders later this year at the FIBA World Championship in Japan, said: "It's gone. I can't describe how I feel. It was in our hands and now it's gone.
"We worked ourselves into a good position to get a win on Australian soil and it's gone.
"We missed some great shots in the third quarter."
Cameron did have praise for his team-mates.
"It's hard to swallow but I'm very proud of the guys," he said.
Aaron Olson, who contributed 13 points and six rebounds for New Zealand, added: "We came in to win gold. We put so much effort into this, but you can't disrespect silver.
"It's always tough to down to your arch rivals and losing to Australia is tough to swallow."
From Mike Perez, PA Sport, Melbourne Exclusively for FIBA