New Zealand Falls Short at FIBA World Cup

Barcelona- Tai Webster and New Zealand gave Lithuania all they could handle before succumbing 76-71 in the round of 16 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup on Sunday.

Webster, who is beginning his sophomore season at Nebraska, totaled six points on 3-of-5 shooting, along with two rebounds and a pair of steals in 27 minutes. He started all six games for New Zealand in Spain, averaging 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game despite being the youngest player on New Zealand’s roster.

Webster had four of his points in the opening minutes, but that was one of the few early highlights for New Zealand, which fell behind 23-9 in the first quarter.

New Zealand chipped away at the deficit in the second and third quarters before a 9-0 run gave them their lead of the day at 59-58 on a 3-pointer from Corey Webster, Tai’s older brother, with 7:12 left.

The teams battled back and forth and was tied at 65 with 2:12 left before a 7-0 run by Lithuania, the fourth-ranked team in the world, put the game away.