NZNBL Wrap (June 11, 2024)

6’9 New Zealand-born Tohi Smith-Milner put on a double-double showcase for the Wellington Saints over the weekend, as he scored 28 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Mitch McCarron’s Taranaki Airs.

Smith-Milner’s teammate, Ben Ayre scored 11 points and eight assists, whilst McCarron scored 13 points and nine rebounds for the Airs.

Ayre top-scored in the Saints’ Game 1 spectacle with a whopping 35 points, with Smith-Milner scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Wildcat Ben Henshall again was a spark for his Otago Nuggets side, with 31 points and eight rebounds. Fellow Wildcats and Nuggets teammates, Dontae Russo-Nance (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Jack Andrew (16 points, 7 rebounds) were also influential in a 108-86 win.

The Wildcats trio won over Josh Roberts (21 pts, 11 reb) and Keanu Rasmussen’s (15 pts, 3 reb) Hawkes Bay Hawks.

Nelson Giants’ duo Dan Fotu and Dan Grida worked to claim a win over the Tauranga Whai, with Fotu scoring 23 points, and Grida hitting 14 points to go with five rebounds.

Keanu Rasmussen (Hawkes Bay) – 20PTS, 2REB, 4AST vs Sharks | 15PTS, 3REB, 1AST vs Nuggets

Tohi Smith-Milner (Wellington) – 21PTS, 11REB, 2AST vs Jets | 28PTS, 16REB, 3AST vs Taranaki

Josh Roberts (Hawkes Bay) – 14PTS, 12REB, 1AST vs Sharks | 21PTS, 11REB vs Nuggets

Dan Grida (Nelson) – 14PTS, 5REB, 2STL vs Tauranga
Sam Froling (Taranaki) – DNP vs Welington
Lachie Olbrich (Canterbury) – 14PTS, 8REB, 2AST vs Auckland

Flynn Cameron (Taranaki) – 5PTS, 7REB, 6AST vs Saints
Rob Loe (Auckland) – 7PTS, 8REB, 5AST vs Canterbury

Dan Fotu (Nelson) – 23PTS, 3REB, 1STL vs Tauranga
Carlin Davison (Taranaki) – 19PTS, 8REB, 5AST vs Wellington
Mitch McCarron (Taranaki) – 13PTS, 9REB, 6AST vs Wellington
Max Darling (Canterbury) – 11PTS, 2REB vs Auckland
Cam Gliddon (Auckland) – 19PTS, 6REB, 2AST vs Canterbury
Dom Kelman-Poto (Franklin) – 2PTS, 7REB, 2AST vs Jets

Ben Henshall (Otago) – 31PTS, 8REB, 5AST vs Hawks
Dontae Russo-Nance (Otago) – 11PTS, 5REB, 3AST vs Hawks
Jack Andrew (Otago) – 16PTS, 7REB, 1BLK vs Hawks

Ben Ayre (Wellington) – 35PTS, 2REB, 7AST vs Jets | 11PTS, 8AST vs Taranaki
Reuben Te Rangi (Auckland) – 17PTS, 2REB vs Canterbury

Izayah Le’Afa (Wellington) – 21PTS, 5REB, 5AST vs Jets | 16PTS, 7REB, 11AST vs Taranaki
Sam Timmins (Franklin) – 22PTS, 9REB, 4AST vs Jets

Walter Brown (Canterbury) – 9PTS, 7REB, 2AST vs Auckland