MANILA — New Zealand avoided another second-half meltdown as they ended their 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign on a high note.

The Tall Blacks scored an 88-86 win on a rainy Saturday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Finn Delany put up 27 points, four rebounds, and two assists, while Izayah Le’Afa added 27 markers, six boards, and three assists to the victory.

The Tall Blacks' win, alongside South Sudan's victory over Angola earlier at the Araneta Coliseum, ended Egypt’s hopes of automatically qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• FIBA: South Sudan dismantles Angola, steps closer to Olympic qualification

Instead, Carlik Jones and South Sudan punched their ticket to next year's Summer Games as the highest-ranked Asian team in the tournament.

Tied at 83 apiece with under two minutes left in the contest, Jordan Ngatai scored a huge triple to stop an Egypt run that erased a 10-point lead by New Zealand in only less than five minutes of action.

Amr El Gendy answered with his own life triple to tie the game once more, but Reuben Te Rangi converted two free throws a few possessions later to reclaim a much-needed two-point lead which was enough to seal the win.

Ehab Amin and Elgendy on the other hand, led their team with 19 points each.

New Zealand improved to 2-3 in Group N, while Egypt fell to a similar win-loss record in the same group after this loss.

For more stories on the FIBA World Cup, click here.

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more News on iWantTFC