MANILA, Philippines – New Zealand on Monday overcame Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s tournament-best 39 points, hacking out a 95-87 overtime victory to bounce back from a loss to USA in the FIBA World Cup Group C at the Mall of Asia.
Hollis-Jefferson, who is among the familiar faces in the competition owing to his recent title-winning stint with Talk n Text in the last PBA Governors’ Cup, forced overtime when he impressively converted on a four-point play with 10 seconds left in regulation.
He complemented his massive scoring output with nine rebounds, four assists and two steals, but those weren’t enough to help Jordan win its first game. Freddy Ibrahim and Ahmad Dwairi supported Hollis-Jefferson on offense with 22 and 19 points, respectively.
Player of the Game Izayah Le'Afa starred for New Zealand, which lost its opening game to the USA last Saturday, with 23 points. He went 4-of-8 from 3-point territory.
Jordan will next face a heavily favored USA squad at 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, while the Kiwis will test their mettle against Greece at 8:40 p.m.