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Wisconsin basketball class of 2025 commit Hayden Jones led New Zealand to its second straight pool play win of the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup on Sunday.
A day removed from its 77-72 victory and fourth-quarter comeback against Argentina, New Zealand pocketed a commanding 73-50 triumph over Mali in its second group stage contest of the circuit.
New Zealand held Mali to just 12 total points in the second half, enabling Jones and his teammates to morph a three-point edge into a 23-point blowout.
Jones, who committed to the Badgers’ program on July 25, 2024, registered a game-best 19 points off 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard also snared eight rebounds and dished out two assists in his 25 minutes of action. Of note, 12 of Jones’ points arrived in the second quarter, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to push New Zealand ahead at the half.
His fellow New Zealand national team member and Badger commit Jackson Ball, who accounted for a team-high 17 points against Argentina, finished with six points, three rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes of play. Through two games, Jones leads his country with 14 points and 10 rebounds per game, followed by 11.5 points and three assists per contest from Ball.
The Americans, who roster future professional stars Koa Peat, AJ Dybantsa, Morez Johnson Jr. and Christopher Brown, secured an 88-73 win over Australia in their first pool play game.
New Zealand will square off next against Serbia on July 1 for a chance to claim a 3-0 mark in Pool A. If the squad earns an unblemished record, it will advance to the knockout stage in search of an appearance in the tournament’s championship match on July 6.
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