Basketball: New Zealand crushes Japan on the boards

New Zealand’s Tall Blacks dominated on the boards and shot 42 percent from beyond the arc to defeat Japan’s men’s national team, the Akatsuki Five, 94-75 Friday in their second of two World Cup warm-up games.

The Tall Blacks, ranked 26th in the world, got a measure of revenge at Gunma Prefecture’s Open House Arena Ota, after Wednesday’s 79-72 loss on the same court to No. 36 Japan.

New Zealand out-rebounded Japan 45-21 with Reuben Te Rangi grabbing six boards to go with his game-high 20 points.

“We were beaten from the get-go by their physical play,” Japan head coach Tom Hovasse said. “We hesi...