Simmons a glimpse into bright Boomers future Slamming: Boomers young gun Ben Simmons dunks as Casey Frank of New Zealand watches during the FIBA Oceania Championship match at Auckland. While the history books will record the Australian win over New Zealand as a solid victory over an under-strength opponent, those who watched it will remember the match as the official introduction to the Boomers' bright future. The 70-59 win over the Tall Blacks in Auckland gave Australia a 1-0 lead in their two-game Oceania series but it was Victorian teenager Ben Simmons, son of long-time NBL import Dave Simmons, who caught plenty of attention for his brief but memorable stint on court. Simmons threw down a soaring break-away dunk from a steal just seconds after coming onto the court and he followed that early in the fourth quarter with an above the rim block on Tall Blacks high flyer Thomas Abercrombie, who last month played NBA Summer League with the Phoenix Suns. For five minutes on court and a modest two points, two steals and a block, Simmons will be the memory from many who watched the match while his good friend, fellow teenager Dante Exum, was also impressive during his second-quarter stint on court. After misfiring on offence in the first half and allowing New Zealand to take a half-time lead, point guard Patty Mills kick-started the Boomers in the second half taking advantage of the Tall Blacks' lack of depth at his position, scoring 20 points and adding five rebounds and four steals while veteran big man David Andersen scored 12 points and Matt Dellavedova added 11 points. Corey Webster led the Tall Blacks with 14 points while captain Mike Vukona scored 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Mills said his side needed to lift in the second half. "Something we pride ourselves on is our defensive enthusiasm," Mills said. We didn't do that in the first half so we focused on that in the second half and it led to some key stops and buckets. We have some things to work on for Canberra, there were a few things to tighten up on for next game. Veteran guard David Barlow sat out with a back injury but Mills said Barlow should be fit to play game two in Canberra on Sunday. New Zealand will need to win by 12 points or more to claim the series otherwise the Boomers will win the series. Both sides have qualified for next year's FIBA World Cup but the series winner will get a better seeding at the tournament. Earlier in the night, the Australian Opals and returning superstar Lauren Jackson took a firm hold of a place in the FIBA women's world championships next year with a 66-50 win over New Zealand in game one of their two game Oceania qualifying series, also in Auckland. Jackson had 22 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes as she made her first appearance with the Opals since the 2010 London Olympics and while her shooting showed some rust early, by three quarter time Jackson had passed 20 points and was clearly the dominant player on court. The two sides play game two of their series in Canberra on Sunday afternoon with New Zealand needing to win by 17 points or more otherwise the Opals will take the sole Oceania place at the FIBA World Cup.