After trailing by ten points early in the fourth quarter, Australia stormed back to defeat New Zealand, 79-77, in Wellington’s TSB Arena on Monday.

Down one point, William Hickey beat the buzzer with a game-winning three-pointer for the Boomers. On Friday, in the first half of the two-part series between the rivals, the 26-year-old guard also tucked in a clutch triple. Between two key makes, Australia went up to 2-0 in Group A of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asia Qualifiers.

Davo finished with 12 points, with 30-year-old Keanu Pinder and 33-year-old Nick Kay reaching 21 and 20 points, respectively. For the hosts, Sam Mennenga tallied a team-high 16 points, including an incredible poster dunk late in the third quarter.

FIBA World Cup 2027 Asia Qualifiers

Group A

1. Australia

2. Philippin

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