New Zealand came close to causing a major upset when they battled last year's world championship runners-up Turkey down to the wire in an Adidas Cup basketball tournament match in Istanbul this morning.
Turkey were forced to stage a strong finish in the final minutes to come off 70-64 winners.
New Zealand, trailing 32-34 at halftime took the lead early in third quarter and were equal pegging with Turkey for a large part of the final stanza.
But with scores locked at 62-62 and around two minutes remaining, Turkey converted a three-point play, a basket and a free throw to help push the lead out and make things difficult for the Kiwis.
"We got ourselves in a great position down the stretch, but lost a little bit of composure," Tall Blacks assistant coach Chris Tupu said.
"But this is a world power team we were up against -- they've got three NBA players including the guy who was No 3 pick on the draft.
"There were a lot of positives and encouragement to come out of the game, but the guys should still be angry - we've got to be able to close games out. "Twenty turnovers is too many at this level," added Tupu.
The Tall Blacks have another game to go, against Ukraine, and Tupu felt there's some good energy and passion from the team.
"We battled well, but each individual has to be accountable and make sure we make those steps up a level for each game."
Top scorers for the Tall Blacks was Kirk Penney with 16 including four three pointers; Mika Vukona scored 13 and Corey Webster eight points.
Mark Dickel gained some court time and grabbed five assists.
Enes Kanter, the No 3 draft pick in the NBA by the Utah Jazz, scored 14 points for Turkey.
The Tall Blacks take on the Ukraine tomorrow morning before returning home for a training camp ahead of a three-game series against Australia early next month for a place in the London Olympics.
Scores: Turkey 70 (Enes Kanter 14, Kerem Tunceri 12), New Zealand 64 (Kirk Penney 16, Mika Vukona 13, Corey Webster 8). Halftime: 34-32.
