Breakers' starring role in NZ win

Sunday, September 3, 2023

Izayah Le'afa capped off a strong FIBA World Cup with a 27-point haul against Egypt.

New Zealand Breakers pair Izayah Le'afa and Finn Delany have combined for 54 points, 27 apiece, in the Tall Blacks' close-fought win over Egypt at the FIBA World Cup.

Le'afa boasted a plus-minus line of +18 in the two-point win, which now sees them finish second in Group N, during the 17-32 classification stage.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">? Highlights and game recap following our tense 88-86 win over Egypt at the FIBA World Cup ?<br><br>? Game recap: <a href="https://t.co/fAs8rzp8BD">https://t.co/fAs8rzp8BD</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAWC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAWC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/winfornewzealand?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#winfornewzealand</a> <a href="https://t.co/g9oRcsLS1i">pic.twitter.com/g9oRcsLS1i</a></p>— Tall Blacks (@TallBlacks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TallBlacks/status/1698000775002374408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Tall Blacks are waiting for confirmation on their potential road to the Olympics, which will mean more hard work at the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

Delaney and captain Reuben Te Rangi sit equal 22nd at the FIBA World Cup for scoring, with the pair averaging an impressive 16.4 points a game across five appearances.

New Zealand's win over Egypt helped South Sudan qualify for its first ever Olympic appearance, as the best-placed African nation.

New Zealand 88 (Le'afa 27, Delany 27, I. Fotu 14, Te Rangi 9
Egypt 86 (Amin 19, El Gendy 19, Mahmoud 16, Marei 11)