New Zealand leaned on the late-game heroics of Ruben Te Rangi to escape Iran in overtime, 93-91, and kick off Group E action in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Friday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The win moved the Tall Blacks to 5-2 in the standings, tying them with Iran, which also fell to 5-2.
“Very proud of the guys for sticking together; emotions could easily have tipped over, but we kept our composure down the end which was really key to the victory,” said Tall Blacks head coach Judd Flavel.
In overtime, Te Rangi created separation with an and-one play to put New Zealand ahead, 87-84, with just over two minutes remaining. The 6-foot-5 Kiwi forward continued to make his presence felt, knocking down a much-needed triple with 1:57 left to give the Tall Blacks a 90-86 advantage.
Iran refused to go down without a fight, however, as veteran Mohammad Jamshidi answered with a pull-up jumper to cut the deficit to two, 90-88.
With both teams in foul trouble and New Zealand holding a 92-90 lead, Iran desperately needed Mobin Sheikhi to convert both free throws after Sam Waardenburg was called for a foul with 15 seconds remaining.
Sheikhi split his charities, allowing New Zealand to maintain a two-point cushion. Jordan Ngatai then split his own free throws on the other end, making it 93-91 and leaving Iran with one final chance.
In a frantic final possession, Waardenburg swatted away Mohammad Amini’s layup attempt with eight seconds left. The rebound fell to Iran’s Alireza Sharifi, but his putback also failed to go in as the Tall Blacks held on until the final buzzer.
“It was a great international game. The boys fought ‘til the very end. All week, we talked about how physical they were. They showed that at the start but we came together and were able to get the job done,” said Shea Ili, who led all scorers with 24 points and six assists.
Sam Mennenga posted a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds and had earlier put New Zealand ahead, 80-78, with two minutes remaining in regulation. However, the starting forward fouled out with less than a minute left after Amini tied the game at 80-all, forcing the contest into overtime.
Rounding out the scoring for the Tall Blacks were Te Rangi with 13 points, Waardenburg with 11, and Cameron with 10.
New Zealand outrebounded Iran, 53-38, including a whopping 17 offensive rebounds—a factor that Team Melli head coach Sotiris Manolopoulos identified as a key area for improvement.
“We tried to control their strengths, which was obviously their offensive rebounding, where we did not do a good job no matter how hard we tried. They’re one of the top teams I’ve seen in that department,” he shared.
Matin Aghajanpour paced Iran with 19 points and three rebounds, while 21-year-old Amini chipped in 16 points and six rebounds.
Team Melli will face the Philippines on Sunday, while the Tall Blacks will take on Syria as the fourth qualifying window concludes at the same venue.
The Scores:
New Zealand 93 – Ili 24, Mennenga 15, Te Rangi 13, Waardenburg 11, Cameron 10, T. Webster 6, Davison 6, Ngatai 4, C. Webster 2, Timmins 2, McNaught 0.
Iran 91 – Aghajanpour 19, Amini 16, Jafari 14, Jamshidi 12, Zangeneh 9, Kazemi 7, Girgoorian 6, Heydari 5, Monji 2, Sheikhi 1, Sharifi 0, Aliakbari 0.
Quarterscores: 21-19, 38-39, 66-61, 93-91.
