The Tall Blacks lost a last-possession game against Iran in Riga yesterday, going down 75-72 despite seemingly being in control for most of the game.
Head coach Paul Henare rued those lapses in a game he thought had slipped by his team.
"We have just spoken about how we can't afford to lower our intensity. We are simply not a good enough team to have those lapses and expect not to be punished at this level. These are very good teams and they will hurt you if you are not locked in at all times,'' he said.
"We extended on them a few times in the game but each time we let them back in. [In] the second quarter we conceded 27 points when we had the chance to build further on what we had achieved with a very good start. Then in the final quarter we were outscored 8-2 over the closing five minutes, which we need to address.''
The Tall Blacks led 19-11 at the end of the first quarter, were up 43-28 at halftime and held a 62-61 lead heading into the final period.
The final quarter was a much tighter affair, the lead changing with almost every play, with neither side able to go on a run significant enough to break the game open. Defensively, Tom Abercrombie was walking on egg shells, having picked up his fourth foul late in the third quarter.
In the end, though, it was Iran which kept its cool. The Tall Blacks were wide of the mark with all five of their three-point attempts in the final quarter and made five turnovers.
