Boomers take charge to beat NZ in Game 2

Former Perth Wildcats guard Taylor Britt kept the New Zealand Tall Blacks in the contest but the depth of the Australian Boomers full of NBL talent proved too strong winning 92-67 on the Sunshine Coast.

It was the second game this week of the inaugural Trans-Tasman Throwdown after the Boomers came from behind to secure the 80-68 Wednesday night victory at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

The two teams travelled up to the Sunshine Coast on Friday night to play at the home of last year's NBL1 National Finals at the University of Sunshine Coast Arena.

Former Sydney Kings championship teammates Xavier Cooks and Angus Glover combined for the first five points of the game for Australia before another of their title winners, DJ Vasiljevic, knocked down a three ball for an 8-2 start.

The Boomers ended up holding New Zealand to just the 10 points in the first quarter and finished with 18 themselves after having a slow start back on Wednesday night.

Australia turned that into a 28-12 start early in the second period and held the Tall Black to just the 12 points in the first 12 minutes.

Just as New Zealand got back within nine points, the Boomers went on a 10-2 scoring run including a couple of three balls to veteran Illawarra Hawks championship winner Todd Blanchfield go into half-time leading 42-28.

While the Boomers did shoot better at 43 per cent to 32, they also got to the foul line 15 times to just the eight from the Tall Blacks in the first 20 minutes.

Owen Foxwell pushed Australia out to an 18-point lead to start the third quarter but then Taylor Britt fired up for New Zealand.

The former Wildcats NBL guard and current Canterbury Rams star ended up scoring 12 of the Tall Blacks' 22 points in the third quarter including a triple just before the buzzer to bring the deficit back to 10.

Shea Ili then had the Tall Blacks within eight to start the fourth and then Finn Delany made the deficit seven, but the Boomers took control from that moment outscoring New Zealand 24 points to six to end up winning by 25.

It was a dominant finish to the game for the Boomers to take the two-nil lead thanks to 47 rebounds to 34 including 18 at the offensive end for 15 second chance points to go with 21 points from New Zealand's 18 turnovers.

Cooks ended up with 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Boomers with Elijah Pepper hitting a couple of late triples on his way to 12 points, five boards and two steals.

Blanchfield also had 11 points and six rebounds, Angus Glover 10 points and three assists, captain Mitch Norton nine points and four assists, Owen Foxwell eight points and two assists, Harry Wessels seven points, seven rebounds and three blocks, and Keli Leaulepe seven points and four boards.

Britt ended up with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists for New Zealand with Melbourne United star Shea Ili providing 18 points, five boards and four assists, and Finn Delany eight points, three rebounds and two assists.

The Trans-Tasman Throwdown now heads to New Zealand for the third game on Sunday in Hamilton. The men's game is again first up at 12:10pm AEST ahead of the Opals facing the Tall Ferns to wrap things up with tip-off set for 2:20pm.

TRANS-TASMAN THROWDOWN – GAME 2

AUSTRALIAN BOOMERS 92 (Cooks 16, Pepper 12, Blanchfield 11)

NEW ZEALAND TALL BLACKS 67 (Britt 19, Ili 18, Delany 8)

BOX SCORE