IT WAS two from two for Australia in its first clashes against New Zealand, with both the Opals and Boomers emerging victorious from the first instalment of the Trans Tasman Throwdown on Wednesday night.

Australia (88) defeated New Zealand (70)

Kicking things off for the evening was a clash between the Opals and the New Zealand Tall Ferns, and although it was still game on heading into the fourth, the Aussies proved too good when it mattered most, cruising home to an 18-point win.

The Opals were strong in the opening frame, with Miela Sowah particularly influential in the later stages of the quarter to help her side take a 10-point buffer into the the first change, and it looked as if the Aussies would run away with it.

However, it was a strong response from the Tall Ferns, who were particularly restrictive in the second period to ensure the game did not get out of hand, holding the Opals to just 12 points. The visitors then cut the margin to just four points heading into the final 10 minutes of play, setting up a thrilling finish to the contest.

Ultimately, Australia was too strong in crunch time, outscoring New Zealand 27-13 in the final 10 minutes of the match to storm home in style and claim an 88-70 win at Adelaide Entertainment Centre to kick off the series with a win.

Sowah was immense off the bench with a game-high 23 points on 7/10 shooting from the field and 4/7 shooting from behind the arc. She helped the Opals get out to such a substantial lead and made the most of her 24 minutes of court time, looking extremely dangerous with ball in hand.

Alexandra Fowler was also impressive for the Opals, posting 12 points (5/7 FG) and six boards of her own, while Courtney Woods was extremely important for the Aussies, showing composure in her international debut to round out the double-digit scorers with 11 points.

Sharne Robati was the standout for the Tall Ferns, leading the way with 19 points on 7/11 shooting, helping drag her side back into the match throughout the second and third quarters and showing why this Tall Ferns side can be dangerous.

Australia (80) defeated New Zealand (68)

The second clash of the evening saw the Boomers snag a 12-point win over the Tall Blacks shortly after, bouncing back from a slow start to the match to eventually get the job done in Adelaide.

New Zealand started the game extremely well, not only matching Australia’s offensive output, but actually surpassing it to drop 27 points in the first quarter and lead by four points at the opening change, thanks to an and-one from Shea Ili.

Both sides struggled to get any sort of momentum on the offensive end in the second frame, as the lead changed hands on multiple occasions in a low-scoring patch of play heading into half time, with the Tall Blacks extended their lead to five.

However, the third frame broke things open, with the Aussies completely outplaying their Tasman neighbours, outscoring New Zealand 23-9 in the period and storming away to a big lead. Plenty of Boomers chipped in to help as the hosts led by nine points at three-quarter time, with momentum fully on their side.

The Aussies extended their lead out further to start the fourth quarter, with the roster’s young guns getting involved in an exciting few minutes for the future of the sport. The margin ballooned out to 19 points with just a few minutes to play, and although the Tall Blacks managed to chip away at the deficit in the closing minutes, the game was over with the Aussies taking out game one.

The dynamic duo of Dejan Vasiljevic (23 points, 8/17 FG) and Elijah Pepper (16 points, 5/15 FG) did a lot of the heavy lifting offensively for the Boomers, with the pair combining for 10 three-pointers to help the Aussies break away in the second half. Pepper is arguably the form player of the country at the moment, and carried his NBL1 antics to international level.

One of the most impressive performances from the Boomers was young center Harry Wessels, who started at the five and had a strong outing in the frontcourt with seven points (3/4 FG) and eight rebounds.

The series will now head to the Sunshine Coast, where game two will take place on Friday night before heading over to Hamilton, New Zealand for game three on Sunday.