Will Hickey clutch triple again gets Boomers past Tall Blacks in World Cup qualifying thriller

Monday, 1 December 2025

Australia’s Boomers celebrate Will Hickey’s big shot to win the Fiba World Cup qualifier against theTall Blacks in Wellington.

At TSB Arena, Wellington: Australia Boomers 79 (Keanu Pinder 21, Nick Kay 20, Jaylin Galloway 13, Will Hickey 12), New Zealand Tall Blacks 77 (Sam Mennenga 16, Mojave King 13). 1Q: 23-21; HT: 39-37; 3Q: 57-62.

Deja-vu. For the second game in three days a clutch Will Hickey triple rescued the Australian Boomers from a tight spot late in their Fiba World Cup qualifying contest against New Zealand’s Tall Blacks.

This time, though, in a Monday night thriller at Wellington’s TSB Arena it was hard to escape the conclusion that Judd Flavell’s Tall Blacks blew a royal chance for a rare victory over their trans-Tasman rivals.

After leading by double-digits (67-57 at 8:32) early in the final term, 75-70 at 2:38 and 77-74 inside the final minute, the New Zealanders missed five of their last six shots to stall badly when it mattered. And, just as he did in Hobart three nights earlier (in the Boomers’ 84-79 victory), it was Hickey who stepped up to make the decisive shot at the death, his banked triple with five seconds remaining securing a two-game sweep in this Group A double.

It was a disappointing finish by the New Zealanders who looked like they had done enough, with a 25-18 third-quarter surge, to secure just their 11th victory all-time against the Australians.

But some puzzling decisions by Flavell over the run home appeared to backfire badly in the final term. The Tall Blacks coach did not play Sam Mennenga at all in the fourth, which was surprising given as he had personally hauled the team into the box seat in the penultimate period.

Tall Blacks forward Sam Mennenga battles his Australia opposite Keanu Pinder in Wellington.

It was similar with his leading rebounder, Tyrell Harrison, who remained anchored to the bench over the run home, with 6 points, 8 boards, 3 blocks and a team-high +10 plus/minus. To see the two biggest bodies on the court play just 14 minutes apiece, and none with the game on the line, almost defied belief.

Flavell pinned his hopes when it mattered on veterans Finn Delany, Yanni Wetzell and Izayah Le’afa, and in a tight contest they were just not able to get it done, going a combined 7 of 23 from the floor and all with plus/minus numbers between -8 and -11.

Mennenga was simply outstanding for the Tall Blacks, revelling in the physical play allowed by the referees as he poured in 10 of his team-high points haul in the third term and lit the fuse on a penultimate quarter run that put the New Zealanders into the driver’s seat.

Why Flavell did not go back to his best player over the run home was a mystery. The Breakers star’s statline of 16 points (at a 6-of-10 clip), 6 boards and 2 blocks in just 14 minutes, with a plus/minus of +6, was proof positive he should have played more.

Tall Blacks guard Izayah Le'afa goes on the drive during Monday’s World Cup qualifier at TSB Arena.

Mojave King chipped in a handy 13 points (5/12 FG), 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the Tall Blacks, and was his team’s biggest threat off the bounce, while Flynn Cameron added 9 points (and 5 turnovers) and Delany and Wetzell 8 apiece for the Kiwis.

The Aussies rode to 2-0 in Group A behind standout games from bigs Keanu Pinder (21 points, 5 boards and 5 blocks) and Nick Kay (20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals), with Jaylin Galloway chipping in a handy 13 points, including a trio of triples, and Hickey adding a dozen points (on 3-of-12 shooting), 6 rebounds, 7 dimes and 8 turnovers in a mixed-bag display. Still, he made the one that mattered, even with lashings of luck..

The Tall Blacks again won the rebounding battle (51-42 overall and 21-17 off the offensive glass) but paid the price for 22 turnovers and an 18-11 deficit in points off giveaways. They also could not make a shot when it mattered down the stretch.

The Aussies noticeably upped the physicality through the first two quarters in Wellington, after being pounded on the boards in Hobart, but still struggled to shake loose a determined Kiwi outfit as they led 23-21 after one, behind 11 first quarter points from Pinder, and the same margin (39-37) at the major break.

The Tall Blacks kept their opponents in the box seat courtesy of 13 first-half turnovers, resulting in seven more field goal attempts for the visitors, but battled away to nudge the offensive boards battle 12-11 and win second-chance points 13-7 to stay well in touch in a tit-for-tat half.

Neither team shot well from deep, the Tall Blacks making just 3 of their 12 attempts and the Boomers 4 of 17, with some physical defence from both sides putting points at a premium.

The New Zealanders made their move behind Mennenga’s 10 third-quarter points (including a crowd-pleasing hammer dunk on a drive down the middle) as they won the spell 25-18 to take a five-point lead (62-57) at the final break.

The Kiwis got it out by double-digits early in the final term, but then lost their rhythm when it mattered as Hickey and the Boomers once again taught them a lesson in finishing big-time international hoops games.