THE Wellington Saints sent a strong statement heading into the 2021 NZ NBL Final Four with an 85-61 thumping of the Auckland Huskies Saturday at Eventfinda Stadium.
Dion Prewster missed out on a triple-double with his 23 points, nine reboounds, and eight assists as Wellington finished the elimination round with this eighth straight win and end at the top of the standings at 16-2.
Taane Samuel also drilled 3-of-6 of his treys for 20 points, four boards, and two assists, while Kerwin Roach Jr. got 10 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
Tuffin on target
Fil-Kiwi gunner Ken Tuffin drilled three of his six treys as he wound up with 11 points in the victory.
Though the Saints weren't as lethal from deep a day before when they made 29 triples, the long ball continued to fall for the visitors as they shot 11-of-32 from downtown.
Defense also made the big difference for Wellington as it forced Auckland to commit 15 turnovers and turned it to 14 east points.
This was evident as the Saints clobbered the Huskies and used a 22-point finishing kick to take the 24-point rout.
Justin Bibbs paced the four-seed Auckland (11-7) with 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in the loss.
Tom Vodanovich chipped in a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards, as Takiula Fahrensohn got 10 points and four rebounds off the bench for the Huskies.
Wellington and Auckland face off anew on Thursday, this time with higher stakes as they meet in the one-game semifinals at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua.
Meanwhile, the two-seed Hawke's Bay Hawks and three-seed Southland Sharks, both finishing with identical 13-5 cards, dispute in the other semifinal pairing.
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