New Zealand avoided handing Australia a clean sweep of the 2007 FIBA Oceania Men’s Championship series with a hard-fought 67-58 victory over the Boomers at the Brisbane Exhibition Centre on Friday night.

The Tall Blacks rebounded from a four-point three-quarter time deficit to outscore the Australians 26-13 in the final quarter and add some respectability to the three-match series.

Glen Saville was rested after aggravating a minor wrist injury on his non-shooting left hand with the Sydney Kings recruit replaced by Brad Newley in the starting five.

After a quiet first-half, Newley came alive in the third quarter to finish with 14 points while Damien Ryan added 11 and Sam Mackinnon nine plus eight rebounds.

Emerging teenage talent Patrick Mills made seven points on two-of-seven shooting.

Kiwi guard Kirk Penney, who had top scored for the New Zealanders with 20 and 21 points in the opening two games of the series, was kept to eight points in a quiet night.

However, new Brisbane Bullets signing Craig Bradshaw showed the local crowd a taste of things to come with 15 points for the visitors while Phill Jones was also productive racking up a double-double 17 points and 12 boards.

Having already booked their passage to next year's Beijing Olympic Games following wins in Melbourne and Sydney, the Boomers began sloppily and it took the introduction of Mills to open the home side's account with more than four minutes played.

Mills was busy straight away, hassling Kiwi captain Pero Cameron into a travelling violation moments later then sinking Australia's first three-pointer of the night from the corner.

But New Zealand still went into the first break 18-12 ahead with defences completely on top and continued to keep the Australians at arm's length throughout the rest of the first-half.

With Mills' influence diminishing during the second, it was Ryan who stepped forward with eight consecutive points to draw Australia back to just 28-24 behind at the major break.

But neither side could find their range from the field or from the stripe with some uninspiring shooting percentages needing some serious attention during the half-time interval.

David Andersen was nought-from-three at the break with New Zealand's harrying defence continuing to worry the Russia-based big man out of points.

He finished with just six points on one-of-nine shooting from the field.

So it was left to NBA star Newley, who recently signed with the Houston Rockets after impressing on his US tour, to single-handedly take the attack to the Kiwis with 12 points in the quarter on the back of some dazzling ball-handling.

The Boomers took a 45-41 advantage into the final term but when the eye-catching Jones sank a deep three to the delight of the New Zealand bench, the lead had changed hands again.

And two reverse lay-ups by Cameron deep in the fourth finished Australia's hopes of a final comeback.

Australia 58 (Newley 14, Ryan 11, Mackinnon 9)
New Zealand 67 (Jones 17, Bradshaw 15, Cameron 11)
@ Brisbane Entertainment Centre, 24/08/07. Crowd: 3437