Waikato rout Cougars in NBL, go to 3-0

The two-time defending champion Waikato Pistons improved to 3-0 in the young National Basketball League season with a 104-74 rout of the Christchurch Cougars in Te Awamutu on Thursday night.

Australian forward Tony Ronaldson went for a game-high 28 points while Tall Blacks centre Alex Pledger put up a big double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Pistons, who have won by an average 22 points per game this season.

Waikato blew out from the start against Christchurch, still missing their Australian import centre Tim Behrendorff, leading 27-10 after the first quarter.

The game never got closer as the Pistons won all four quarters, streaking to a third straight win and to the top of the NBL standings with a 28-20 fourth period. Waikato out-rebounded the Cougars 54-35 and shot 51 percent on field-goal attempts.

Ronaldson shot 10/17 FG, 1/5 3pt, 7/8 FT and added eight rebounds and Pistons American guard Eric Devendorf provided 21 points, nine assists, four rebounds, three blocks and three steals in an all-round performance that would please head coach Dean Vickerman. Tall Blacks swingman Tom Abercrombie, fresh off a Player of the Week performance in Week 2, went for 19 points and seven boards for Waikato.

Despite their dominance, the Pistons still managed 21 turnovers and shot just 5/18 on three-point attempts, but did convert 17 offensive rebounds into 16 second chance points.

Christchurch had five players score in double-digits, led by centre Lionel Hopgood and guard Paora Winitana, both with 15 points. The Cougars shot mid-30s field-goal and three-point percentages against the long Pistons defence.

The NBL goes into overdrive on Friday night, with four games around the League.

The Wellington Saints head to Auckland's North Shore to meet the Harbour Heat in another crucial early-season match-up, the Cougars back-up with a road game in New Plymouth against the Taranaki Mountain Airs, the Southland Sharks go on the road to face the Bay Hawks in Napier and the Giants host the Otago Nuggets in Nelson.

- © Fairfax NZ News