NBL The scores Tauranga Whai 107 Reuben Te Rangi 27, Jayden Bezzant 20 Otago Nuggets 66 Harrison Bezzet 17, Zach McKenzie 15 Quarter scores: 35-19, 56-35, 84-53, 107-66 The Tauranga Whai dispatched an understrength Otago Nuggets 107-66 on their home court last night. The Nuggets were missing regular starters Craig Moller (hamstring) and Ethan Rusbatch (foot), who skipped the match to rest injuries ahead of the playoffs. Bench players Matthew Bardsley (personal) and Toby Hunt (illness) did not make the trip to Tauranga. Imports Alain Louis and Buay Tuach played exactly 37 seconds before they were subbed off, while Isaac Miller-Jose never made it off the bench. Nuggets coach Jeff Sparrow was determined to protect his regulars. The game was a dead rubber for them — win or lose, they could not improve on fifth place. For the Whai, however, the match was a must-win. They have too much talent not to feature in the playoffs, and if they make it through, they will be a tricky opponent. Nuggets duo Tyson Thata-Paese and Harry Bezzet (17 points) landed early three-pointers, and Zach McKenzie (15 points) grabbed a brace of buckets. But the Whai pulled away mid-quarter and led 35-19 at the break. Anzac Rissetto added seven points and grabbed five rebounds in a productive opening 10 minutes. Taine Murray was finding the defence pretty easy to circumvent, and the lead quickly blew out to 20 in the second period. Reuben Te Rangi, who top-scored with 27 points, made his way to the hoop, and Cole Hopoi was getting traction inside. You could call them learning moments for the Nuggets bench squad. They were outclassed but they had good energy. Caleb Smiler (14 points) forced his way to the rim for the Nuggets, and Oak Chisholm connected from deep. Nuggets guard Patrick Tipene — the smallest man on the court — got knocked off his feet. He is a gutsy fellow and got the charging foul, so it was worth it. The Nuggets trailed 56-35. The Whai needed all the points they could muster, so the second half shaped just as tough. Jordan Ngatai drove to the basket for an early two. The seasoned forward was playing more of a facilitating role, but that was a reminder he can score too. Te Rangi drained back-to-back three-pointers. The veteran is a proven match-winner, but the spotlight shifted to Hopoi, who slammed in a vicious dunk a few minutes later. The Whai won the quarter 28-18 and pressed on. They brought up 100 points with more then five minutes remaining. Jayden Bezzant sunk the shot. He flourished in the second half and got through to 20 points. The Whai beat the Nuggets 43-34 in the Rapid League game.
