The Tall Blacks’ hopes of reaching the Olympics ended after losing to Slovenia in a qualifying tournament in Greece.
New Zealand needed to lose by no more than 11 points to advance on points differential but were defeated 104-78.
In their group, New Zealand, Croatia, and Slovenia all finished with three points. However, Croatia and Slovenia advanced to the semi-finals due to a superior points differential.
NBA star Luka Doncic played a crucial role in Slovenia’s victory, achieving a triple-double with 36 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Slovenia started strong with a 12-2 run, but the Tall Blacks fought back in the second quarter, scoring 30 points and narrowing the gap to 49-43 early in the second half.
However, Doncic and Gregor Hrovat led a 13-0 run, pushing Slovenia to a 62-43 lead midway through the third quarter. By the end of the third quarter, Doncic’s three-pointer extended Slovenia’s lead to 77-57, and New Zealand couldn’t recover in the final period.
Shea Ili was a standout for the Tall Blacks, scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Despite their efforts, the Tall Blacks struggled against a dominant Slovenia team and will miss the Olympics.
i competed at the games in the cross country
Wow. I wonder how often they do the aims games.
Thanks for this article Ava. It is very interesting and has much information for relations of participating athletes.
Hope you will write more informative articles and tell the weatherman to send pleasant Bay of Plenty conditions.
My school did Aims games
I really love this article