New Zealand survived a late Iranian scare to pull off a gritty 93-91 overtime victory and strengthen its bid in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Jordan Ngatai calmly sank a free throw with 13 seconds left in extra period to close out scoring before Sam Waardenburg came up with a pair of crucial defensive stops to seal the win.

Waardenburg blocked Mohammad Amini’s potential game-tying attempt and disrupted Alireza Sharifi in the dying seconds as New Zealand escaped with its fifth win in seven games.

Shea Ili led the Tall Blacks with 24 points, six assists and two steals, while Sam Mennenga delivered a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Waardenburg added 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals to go with the game-saving block.

New Zealand head coach Judd Flavell said his squad will gladly take the victory as the race for a spot in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar heats up.

“Very proud of the guys for sticking together. Emotions could have taken over, but they kept their composure, which was key for the victory,” Flavell said.

“We come into these games with a lot of respect and we know the job. We’ll take the win, and there are some things that we need to polish up.”

Iran forced overtime after Amini converted a layup with two minutes remaining in regulation to freeze the game at 80-all, with neither side managing to break the deadlock before the final buzzer.

But the Tall Blacks held their nerve in the extension, with Ngatai delivering from the stripe before Waardenburg took charge on the defensive end.

Matin Aghajanpour paced Iran with 19 points in the losing effort as they hold a 5-2 card.