Basketball: Rams edge Airs in final quarter in NBL thriller

File photo by John Velvin.

The Taranaki Airs' late finals push suffered a blow after they were edged 93-90 by the Canterbury Rams in a dramatic Sal's NBL clash in Christchurch on Thursday night.

The Airs led for much of the contest and took a five-point advantage into the final quarter, but the Rams produced a composed finish to snatch victory at the Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre.

Taranaki made the brighter start, knocking down early three-pointers to open up a 25-17 first-quarter lead.

Canterbury gradually worked its way back into the game and grabbed the momentum just before halftime when Todd Withers hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to hand the Rams a 43-42 lead after trailing by as many as 10 points.

The teams traded the lead repeatedly throughout the third quarter before the Airs regained control to take a 69-64 advantage into the final period.

The Rams answered with a decisive run, sparked by Withers' outside shooting and the all-round play of Tamenang Choh, before Taane Samuel kept Taranaki alive with a clutch three-pointer that cut the margin to a single point with six seconds remaining.

However, Canterbury's Jack Andrew calmly converted two free throws with three seconds left to seal the three-point win.

Walter Brown led the Rams with 25 points, while Choh recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Withers added 17 points, including the crucial halftime buzzer-beater.

Nico Hill top-scored for the Airs with 18 points, while Marcel Jones contributed 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. James Moors added 16 points and eight rebounds in the defeat.

The Airs will now look to quickly regroup as they continue their fight for a playoff berth with their next game in New Plymouth against the Nelson Giants on Wednesday.

The Airs were also beaten 42-36 by Canterbury in the Rapid League curtain-raiser.

The low-scoring contest was level 9-9 after the opening quarter before the Rams took a narrow lead they never relinquished.

Taane Samuel led Taranaki with six points, while Quintin Bailey finished with four points, two rebounds and two assists.

Canterbury's Gus Dallow scored a game-high 10 points and sealed the result with two late free throws. The Rams also dominated the boards 19-10 and committed just three turnovers compared with the Airs' eight.