Australia men's national basketball team, known as the Boomers, has taken the first leg of Oceania series, beating New Zealand 70-59 in Auckland, local media reported on Thursday.

With Boomers guard Patty Mills contributing a game-high 20 points, the Boomers came from some poor first-half shooting to beat the New Zealand national basketball team, the Tall Blacks, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

Up 54-52 at three-quarter time, Australia lifted a gear in the final quarter to pull away.

It made for a winning return for Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis to the North Shore Events Center.

The two teams are bound for next year's World Cup in Spain, but the intensity of the contest lived up to the traditions of Australia-New Zealand rivalry.

The second leg is in Canberra on Sunday. Endi