PIRAEUS, Greece, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Shea Ili's layup with 37 seconds to go put New Zealand ahead for good as the Tall Blacks surprised Croatia 90-86 at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs) here on Wednesday.
Trailing by most of the game, guard Ili drove into the lane and made the reverse layup to usurp the lead 88-86 for New Zealand.
Croatia, who upset favorites Slovenia 108-92 on Tuesday, missed all last five attempts down the stretch, when Izayah Le'afa made another two free-throws en route to New Zealand's victory.
Croatia had already advanced into the semifinals despite the loss, while Slovenia and New Zealand need to battle for another berth on Thursday.
Center Ivica Zubac had 29 points and 16 rebounds, while Dario Saric added 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Croatia. Corey Webster led New Zealand by 21 points.
In the other match at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, Giannis Antetokounmpo shot 11 out of 11 in the field, including a 3-pointer, to score 32 points in 18 minutes in Greece's 109-82 victory over the Dominican Republic.
Thomas Walkup scored 17 points for Greece and Nick Calathes had 12 points and 11 assists. ■
