NEW Zealand barged into the 2022 Fiba Asia Cup quarterfinals after a 97-58 mugging of Syria, 97-58, on Tuesday at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.
Taine Murray once again found his touch from deep on his 3-of-8 clip for a team-best 16 points as the Tall Blacks set up a clash against Group B top seed Korea in the final eight.
Tall Blacks assert dominance
Flynn Cameron added 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals, Sam Timmins collected 12 points, Sam Mennenga had 11, and Taylor Britt had 10 in the 39-point drubbing.
New Zealand was quick to assert dominance with its 25-6 start behind its 50-percent shooting from the field and 27 assists.
The Tall Blacks stretched their lead to 41, 90-49, after a Jordan Hunt layup with 4:01 still left in the clock.
New Zealand finished second in Group D with its 2-1 win-loss record, only losing to the pool's top seed Lebanon last week after victories over the Philippines and India.
Anthouny Bakar and Omar Idelbi paced Syria with 10 points apiece.
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