JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) – New Zealand staged the biggest comeback of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 so far, erasing a 22-point deficit to shock Lebanon 90-86 in Thursday’s Quarter-Finals at King Abdullah Sports City.
The Tall Blacks looked dead in the water after trailing 35-13 early in the second quarter, but Mojave King and Max Darling spearheaded a relentless fightback that sent the 4-0 Group D winners into the Semi-Finals.
Darling finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and a block, battling inside to keep the Kiwis afloat and delivering timely scores in the rally. King was electric with 23 points, 3 assists, 2 triples and 2 steals, igniting the decisive fourth-quarter push. Flynn Cameron added 12 points and 3 assists while Tohi Smith-Milner and Carlin Davison came up big down the stretch with clutch plays at both ends.
For Lebanon, Dedric Lawson was a force with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists, while Hayk Gyokchyan buried five triples en route to 21 points. Ali Mansour and Amir Saoud combined for 24 points but could not stem the late surge.
“I think we deserved to win, but again we look at the mirror and each of us made mistakes, especially me,” Saoud said. “I should have done a better job leading the team.”
Lebanon’s opening quarter was nothing short of explosive. Karim Zeinoun and Gyokchyan hit five triples between them, Khayat and Lawson ran the break to perfection and their swarming defense left New Zealand searching for answers. The 20-point cushion seemed safe, especially as Lebanon still led 45-30 at halftime.
The game flipped in the third. New Zealand attacked the paint with purpose, found rhythm from deep and cut the gap to just six heading into the final quarter. The momentum carried over as Smith-Milner’s outside shooting and Taylor Britt’s drives chipped away at the lead before King tied it at 72-all with under four minutes remaining. Moments later, his fastbreak three-point play gave the Tall Blacks their first lead of the game.
Lebanon refused to fold, with Gyokchyan’s clutch triple and Mansour’s timely scores keeping it close. However, Davison’s emphatic dunks, Taine Murray’s cold-blooded three and Cameron’s late putback sealed an incredible come-from-behind victory for the Kiwis.
“It was a ballgame. Lebanon, in that first quarter, could do no wrong. They made us pay for every mistake that we had,” New Zealand coach Judd Flavell said. “We were in a big hole, we had to make some adjustments and we did. The mindset was get to the rim, and we were able to turn it around. So proud of this young group to grind it out in the end. It was also probably Max Darling’s best game in a Tall Blacks singlet.”
The result sends New Zealand to the Semi-Finals, where they will face China for a place in the gold medal game. For Lebanon, the loss ends their title aspirations, but they go home with heads held high after a stirring campaign in Jeddah.
From staring down elimination to celebrating one of the tournament’s most remarkable turnarounds, New Zealand have shown they are not just unbeaten, they are unbreakable.
FIBA