[autho:megan_whelan] on the Gold Coast
The Tall Blacks have won Commonwealth Games bronze after their shock semi-final loss to Canada.
Mika Vukona of New Zealand looks to make a pass. Photo: Photosport
The New Zealanders beat Scotland 79-69 to take the medal.
The team missed out on the gold medal match in an heartbreaking 88-86 loss to Canada, who scored on the final buzzer of their semi final match.
Against Scotland, it was a close first half, with the Tall Blacks leading by only six at halftime, but they extended that to 15 by the three-quarter mark.
With three minutes to go, Scotland scored 8 unanswered points, narrowing the gap to 8, but the Tall Balcks managed to hold on in a tense final two minutes.
Captain Mika Vukona said the team took yesterday's loss really hard.
"Too lose like that...when you did yourself into a hole, sometimes you don't deserve to go through. So in a lot of ways it was karma."
But he was proud of the way the team stepped up today.
"Our intensity was there from the get go. Even though they came out and hit two [three pointers] and put us on the back foot, I think offensively and defensively we were on the front foot, which we didn't do against Canada."
"Even though it is a bronze medal, not many people get to have a medal at all."
Thomas Abercrombie top scored for New Zealand with 26 points, including 6 three-pointers.
