AUCKLAND (FIBA U19 World Championship) - A deafening home crowd at the North Shore Events Centre was not quite enough to lift New Zealand to victory on opening night at the FIBA U19 World Championship, with Argentina claiming a thrilling 66-64 victory.

In a see sawing game throughout, it was the hoops version of ‘8-Ball’, as the number 8 for each side that played the instrumental roles.

New Zealand number 8, guard Brook Ruscoe scored 22 points on 7/11 shooting, making a number of clutch plays in the final quarter to keep his side in touch.

But it was Argentina’s number 8, Matias Nocedal who made the biggest difference. Nocedal hit three long range shots in his 11 last quarter points. He finished with 21 and received excellent support from Luciano Gonzalez (12 points) and point guard Juan Fernandez (7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists).

The lead changed 10 times throughout the final quarter, and looked as if it may again when New Zealand guard Logan Van Beek stole the ball with just five seconds remaining and his team trailing by one. But a travel by teammate Morgan Nathan as he made his move to the basket denied the home crowd a fairytale finish.

New Zealand centre Rob Loe was a dominant force inside with 15 points on 7/12 shooting and 6 rebounds. He suffered an ankle injury late in the game which could be crucial when New Zealand face Croatia tomorrow night.

Argentina won the rebound count 37-30 and had 18 offensive rebounds. They face Kazakhstan at the North Shore Events Centre at 12:30pm Friday.

They've said:

New Zealand head coach Kenny McFadden:

“Without a doubt I’m feeling disappointed but I’m also pleased that the boys went out and played the way they did.

“We had a plan and I knew if we kept our poise we could win. With the preparation we have and the build-up we had, I knew that if we play to our plan, we could win.

“I told the boys just now to keep their heads up and not too worry about it. It’s in the past. This is a tournament. We weren’t knocked out. We just have to look ahead to Croatia.”

New Zealand captain Dion Prewster:

“They’re a great three-point shooting team and we tried to play zone to put them under pressure but they’ve got such a poised team  that they were able to handle it and knock down shots.”

“It’s very tough to take a loss like that right at the end, we’re all so disappointed right now.”

“A lot of people didn’t think we could do much, so I think we showed them that we can compete. And now we have to come back tomorrow against Croatia and forget about this one.”

Brook Ruscoe:

“We’re all gutted,”

“But there’s still the part of us that is thinking that’s the best team in the Americas, they beat the USA, and for us to come out and pretty much lose it ourselves, is tough.

“Even with a win or the loss, we have to forget about it and come out tomorrow and get a big win.”

FIBA