The Boomers started the fourth quarter with a scoring spree that cut the lead to single figures for the first time since the first quarter, as they looked to snatch an improbable win.
But the Tall Blacks held firm, securing a deserved win against their transtasman rivals.
Elijah Pepper was the standout performer for the Boomers, leading all scorers with 28 points.
Britt contributed a near triple-double performance for the Tall Blacks with 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
The Tall Ferns were unable to avoid a series sweep against the Australian Opals, but after copping a 41-point hammering on the Sunshine Coast on Friday, they cut the losing margin to 15 in Hamilton on Sunday.
Playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in five years, the Tall Ferns were put under early pressure, and despite some good work from Esra McGoldrick, trailed 20-11 at the first break.
With skipper McGoldrick leading the way and forward McKenna Dale nailing a pair of triples, the Tall Ferns cut Australia’s lead to 40-36 at halftime.
A Tegan Graham three-pointer was quickly followed by a shot from series standout Sharne Robati which gave the Tall Ferns the lead for the first time. But the world No 2 Opals responded to regain their four-point lead heading into the final quarter.
The physicality of both teams increased but a few turnovers saw the Opals extend their lead to 10 with less than five minutes remaining and back-to-back three-pointers contributed to a final 86-71 scoreline.
Tall Blacks 106 (Britt 23, Te Rangi 18, K Issac 14)
Australian Boomers 97 (Pepper 28, Norton 19, Vasiljevic 13)
Q1: 28-16, HT: 57-44, Q3: 88-64.
Tall Ferns 71 (McGoldrick 19, Robati 11, Dale 11)
Australian Opals 86 (Borlase 18, Woods 16, Froling 11)
Q1: 11-20, HT: 36-40, Q3: 57-61.
