Bula Dunedin
Tagged in: Tall Ferns
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Fiji have claimed the third spot at this monthís FIBA Oceania Womenís Championships in Dunedin with a 70-62 win over American Samoa in the South Pacific Games final.
Valerie Nainima led all scorers with 29 points (7/31 FG, 1/11 3pt, 14/18 FT) as the Fijians trailed 32-34 at halftime and only stamped their authority on the contest with a 21-6 third quarter.
They were out-rebounded 63-24, conceding 20 offensive boards, but committed only one turnover all game and benefited from a foul count that saw three of their opponents to the sidelines early.
Fiji will now face Australia on September 27 and the NZ Tall Ferns on September 28 with the top two teams meeting in the Oceania final on September 29.
Reigning world champions Australia have already qualified for next yearís Olympics, so the remaining teams in Dunedin are competing for the zone berth at Beijing with the third team filling a spot at the repechage tournament next July.
Fiji also took the menís gold medal at the South Pacific Games, beating Guam 95-58 in the final, while Auckland Stars/Western Bays Suns point guard Fia Gatoloai led Samoa to the bronze medal with 18 points (8/8 FG, 1/1 3pt, 1/2 FT) in an 85-76 win over New Caledonia.
Meanwhile, the Opals won the first game of a Four Nations Tournament played in Moscow, defeating Lithuania 80-78 in overtime.
Trailing by two points with eight seconds remaining, Laura Summerton launched an inbounds pass the length of the court to a flying Jenni Screen, who scored to tie the scores at the end of regulation.
Scoring first in the extra period, the Opals then pushed their lead out to a five-point margin and held on to record an epic victory over their taller Lithuanian opponents.
Forward Emma Randall was Australiaís best with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Screen added 14 points and four rebounds.
