Tuatara, Nuggets soar to NBL road wins
- NZ Sports Wire
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Australian Will Hickey has made an immediate impact for the Auckland Tuatara in the National Basketball League (NBL).
Hickey, the defacto MVP of the Australian NBL Finals series last month, recorded the first triple-double of the NBL season on Friday night, pushing the Tuatara to a 92-82 win over the Southland Sharks in Invercargill.
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Hickey racked up 29 points (11/20 FG, 6/7 FT) in his first game in the New Zealand league, adding 11 rebounds and 11 assists to his stat-line, with the Sharks unable to contain the 6-foot-5 guard.
American guard Charles Pride had his best game in Tuatara teal, finishing with 19 points (5/14 FG, 3/9 3pt, 6/6 FT), 13 boards and six steals, while Tall Blacks centre Rob Loe had 16 points (5/8 FG, 3/6 3pt) and four rebounds, and Tom Vodanovich 14 points (5/14 FG, 3/11 3pt) and two steals.
Import forward Keylan Boone was equally unstoppable for Southland, going off for 35 points (13/30 FG, 6/16 3pt), eight rebounds and three steals, but did not have the scoring support Hickey received.
Fellow Americans Josiah Allick went for 19 points (7/12 FG, 2/3 3pt) and seven boards, and Caleb Asberry 16 points (6/10 FG), six rebounds and six steals. Alonzo Burton also had nine points and five boards.
Auckland never trailed in the game, with an 11-0 run early in the second quarter putting them up 12 points. Southland closed within five in the third period but the Tuatara's lead hovered between 10-15 points most of the fourth.
The Tuatara (2-3) complete the Deep South Double-Header against the Otago Nuggets (3-2) in Dunedin on Sunday (tip-off 1pm), while the Sharks (1-4) are away to the Indian Panthers (0-5) later in the day (tip-off 6.30pm).
The Sharks avoided the sweep, winning the Sky Broadband Rapid League game 43-38, with Dane Bertinshaw and Tukaha Cooper each scoring 11 points.
In Friday night's other game, the Otago Nuggets won their third straight, surging in the second half to a 98-77 win over the winless Panthers at Pulman Arena.
American guard Donald Carey Jr scored 22 points (9/15 FG, 3/6 3pt), six rebounds and six assists, supported by 19 points (7/15 FG, 3/8 3pt) and six boards from one-game Tall Black Jono Janssen and 18 points (6/12 FG, 6/9 FT), nine rebounds, 13 assists and two steals from import forward Jose Perez.
Kiwi guard Jaylen Gerrand put up a game-high 29 points (10/18 FG, 5/8 3pt, 4/6 FT) for the Panthers, with American guard Alex Robinson Jr managing 18 points (6/16 FG, 2/6 3pt, 4/5 FT), eight boards and seven assists.
Like the Tuatara, the Nuggets never trailed, gradually building their lead throughout, before a 22-7 stretch in the fourth period turned it into a blowout.
The Nuggets return to the Edgar Centre to host the Tuatara on Sunday, while the Panthers host the Sharks in Pukekohe later in the day.
Patrick Freeman scored 16 points and Matthew Bardsley 10 points as the Nuggets pulled away for a 47-26 win over the Panthers in the Rapid League contest.
Auckland Tuatara 102 (Davo Hickey 29, Charles Pride 19, Rob Loe 16, Tom Vodanovich 14) Southland Sharks 92 (Keylan Boone 35, Josiah Allick 19, Caleb Asberry 16). 1Q: 30-27, HT: 56-39, 3Q: 78-64
Otago Nuggets 98 (Donald Carey Jr 22, Jono Janssen 19, Jaylen Sebree 18, Jose Perez 18) Indian Panthers 77 (Jaylen Gerrand 29, Alex Robinson Jr 18, Tushal Singh 11). 1Q: 22-15, HT: 50-44, 3Q: 72-58