Basketball New Zealand

Kim Barnes hit the game-winning basket as UC-Irvine ended a 13-game losing streak

Kim Barnes made sure her last two points were the most important.

Barnes, a Counties Manukau product, hit the game-winning turn-around basket in the post with 1.5 seconds remaining as UC-Irvine collected their first Big West conference win and ended a 13-game losing streak 48-46 over Cal State Northridge at home on Saturday.

The former Junior Tall Fern scored 10 of her season- and team-high 11 points in the second half, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 1-of-4 from the foul-line, to go with four rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes for the Anteaters, who improved to 4-15 overall and 1-5 in conference play.

Double-digit games were the norm for Kiwi girls in the US college system last week.

Tall Blacks forward Jillian Harmon had 12 points (6/13 FG, 0/1 FT) with four assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block in 40 minutes in a 69-54 road win over Oregon State on Saturday. She also produced nine points (3/8 FG, 1/3 3pt, 2/2 FT), seven boards, two assists and two steals in 28 minutes of an 85-57 road win against Tall Ferns team-mate Micaela Cocks and Oregon on Thursday as the Cardinal moved to 15-4, 6-1 in the Pac-10.

Cocks had eight points (3/9 FG, 2/4 3pt) with three boards and a steal in 36 minutes against Stanford, following it with 13 points (5/11 FG, 3/9 3pt) and two rebounds in 36 minutes in a 65-60 home loss to number-eight California on Saturday. The Ducks are now 7-11 overall and even at 4-4 in the Pac-10.

Harbour freshman Rebecca Dew exploded for a career-high 11 points (2/7 FG, 7/8 FT), two boards and a steal in 21 minutes, her most off the bench this season, as Hawaii dropped their eighth straight game, this time 52-43 at home to Utah State on Sunday, leaving the Rainbow Wahine winless in the WAC at 0-6, now 3-16 on the season.

Also in NCAA-D1, Harbour guard Kezia Kelly went point-less as Washington State fell to UCLA and USC in a Los Angeles double-header last week. Kelly got a combined seven minutes of game time in the two losses, which put the Cougars back to 8-10 on the year and 1-6 in the Pac-10.

Hailey Purcell, younger sister of Tall Ferns Charmian and Natalie Purcell, had two points (1/2 FG), a rebound and assist in 13 minutes for UT-Martin in a 55-49 home loss to Eastern Illinois on Saturday, the Skyhawks seventh straight defeat, leaving them 2-17 and 0-9 in the OVC.

In NCAA-D2 play, Waikato’s Alana Auld dropped 14 points (4/11 FG, 2/6 3pt, 4/4 FT), two assists and two steals in 26 minutes in Ohio Valley’s 86-71 home loss to West Virginia Wesleyan. The Lady Fighting Scots went 1-2 last week, including an 81-54 loss to Harbour guard Amanda Harris and Alderson Broaddus on Saturday, dropping OVU to 7-9 overall and 4-6 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate conference.

At Rose-Hulman Tech, a NCAA-D3 school in Indian, assistant coaches Pina Lissaman and Warrick Wood saw their Lady Engineers split their games last week, sitting 2-7 in the Heartland conference and 5-11 overall.

At NAIA level, Canterbury’s Donna Lavea scored 16 points (7/8 FG, 2/3 FT) with two rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes in the Lambuth Lady Eagles 69-55 home win over Lyon College on Saturday, moving them to 15-4.

Canterbury coach Caleb Harrison has transferred from the Lambuth men’s programme to assist with the women’s programme at Dakota State, seeing the Lady T’s drop two games last week, now 6-15 for the year.

In the Australian Women’s National Basketall League, Tall Ferns captain Aneka Kerr produced five points (1/4 FG, 3/5 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and a block in 20 minutes and international team-mate Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe eight points (3/4 FG, 2/3 3pt) and a steal in 10 minutes off the bench as the Townsville Fire rolled AIS 98-62 at home on Friday, retaking second spot as the defending champion Adelaide Lightning slipped up.

Tall Ferns point guard Angela Marino had eight points (4/13 FG, 0/5 3pt), two assists and a rebound in 37 minutes and 10 points (3/14 FG, 0/3 3pt, 4/4 FT), four boards and an assist in 35 minutes as the Lightning dropped games to Bendigo and Canberra, falling back to fourth at 12-5.

Former Tall Ferns guard Lisa Pardon scored six points (2/5 FG, 2/2 FT) with five rebounds, an assist and steal in 13 minutes in a 103-64 home shellacking of Perth on Friday, then went for nine points (3/8 FG, 3/5 3pt), four rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes in a 66-57 road win over Dandenong on Saturday. The Boomers moved to third, sharing the same record as the Fire at 14-4.

Tall Ferns forward Natalie Purcell had 10 points (4/9 FG, 1/4 3pt, 1/2 FT), five boards, three assists, three steals and a block in 33 minutes as the Logan Thunder held on for a 71-68 road win over AIS on Sunday.

And former Tall Fern Adrianne Gilbert scored four points (1/3 FG, 2/4 FT), three assists, a rebound and steal in 15 minutes in the Sydney Flames 82-76 home win over Perth on Saturday, keeping alive Sydney’s top-five playoffs hopes at 8-9.