The Tall Blacks have closed out group play at the FIBA Asia Cup, with a one-sided 97-58 win over Syria at Jakarta.
Victory secured the New Zealanders a place in the quarter-finals, where they'll play Korea on Thursday, with a chance to advance to the final four.
The Kiwi men performed at both ends of the court, shooting more than 50 percent from the field, while holding the Syrians to just 35 percent with some suffocating defensive pressure.
Taine Murray led the way for the young Tall Blacks, hitting three three-pointers on his way to 16 points, while Flynn Cameron backed up his impressive showing against the Philippines with 14 points on an efficient 6/9 shooting to go with eight rebounds and a pair of steals.
Point guard Murray, 22, was the catalyst for the Tall Blacks' fast start, helping his side shoot to a quick 12-0 lead.
The high-energy NZ defence held the Syrians to 0/7 shooting to start the game, helping them open up a demoralising 25-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter, and their opponents never recovered.
After holding a 53-21 halftime lead, the Tall Blacks offence sputtered in the third quarter, until Taylor Britt provided an injection off the bench with a flurry of lay-ups and assists to kick the attack back into gear.
The Tall Blacks put the nail in the coffin with a 28-point quarter to emphatically close out the contest.
The one concern for coach Pero Cameron will be the health of starting centre Sam Timmins, who limped from the court with an ankle injury, putting him in doubt for their knockout clash with the Koreans.
New Zealand 97 (Taine Murray 16, Flynn Cameron 14, Timmins 12) Syria 58 (Omar Idelbi 10, Anthouny Bakar 10)
