Le'Afa stands Tall in World Cup prep

Monday, August 21, 2023

New Zealand has continued its World Cup preparation with a win over Chinese side Shenzen.

New Zealand has continued World Cup preparations in style, with a 10-point victory over CBA side Shenzen in China.

The Chinese club side kept pace with the Tall Blacks until the final quarter, with both sides entering the final break on 54 points apiece.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">? Snaps from Tall Blacks camp today, with the first day of the FIBA Solidarity Cup in China underway... and a chance for coach Pero to re-unite with Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming.<br><br>? 21 Aug - NZ vs Italy, 9.30pm NZT<br>? Watch on Courtside 1891 App<br><br>? Todd Wolfe <a href="https://t.co/8LaYRXooBO">pic.twitter.com/8LaYRXooBO</a></p>— Tall Blacks (@TallBlacks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TallBlacks/status/1693087982256001449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A comprehensive 23-13 final quarter advantage saw New Zealand emerge victorious though, as Breakers guard Izayah Le’Afa and former Phoenix big Yanni Wetzell particularly impressing.

Le’Afa dropped a game-high 20 points, while Wetzell had 12 points and eight rebounds.

Former Jazz guard Justin Wright-Foreman led the way for the Leopards and came agonisingly close to a triple-double. He finished the game with 18 points, eight assists and seven boards.

New Zealand will next play Italy in China ahead of the World Cup. The roster will be cut to the final 12 players selected to represent the nation and will then travel to Manila for group play.

The Tall Blacks will open their tournament against a USA side stacked with NBA talent before playing Jordan and Greece.

Their pre-tournament preparation has seen them split their two-game series with Japan and suffered defeats to Canada and China ahead of the win over Shenzen.