Basketball New Zealand

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NZ Tall Fern Jess McCormack (Photosport)

A raw and inexperienced NZ Tall Ferns outfit received an international wake-up call from hosts China as they fell 46-88 in their opening game of the Jin Quiang Cup in Chengdou.

Missing veterans Donna Wilkins, Aneka Kerr, Charmian Purcell and Angela Marino, the young Kiwis (average age 21) hung with their rivals until midway through the second quarter, before committing a series of errors that allowed the Chinese, ranked 10th in the world, to slip away.

ìWe were doing OK getting towards halftime, in fact playing pretty well,” said coach Mike McHugh. “Then we made a couple of mistakes and got down.

“I felt if we could get it back to 8-10, we had a chance to be competitive, but in the second half, we lost our way. They really dominated the third quarter after Jessica McCormack got into foul trouble.

“They began to hit everything, pumped up in front of a big crowd, and got their tails up.î

McCormack was New Zealandís best performer with 12 points (4/8 FG, 4/5 FT) and six rebounds, while captain Noni Wharemate also had 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“Jess showed she is a future star at this level and played with great maturity against WNBA player Chen Nan. Lisa Wallbutton also played well and Noni played her heart out.

“But the young kids were like rabbits in the headlights … we were definitely undermanned against a team of this calibre when they play like this.

“We are developing some young players and will have a bigger talent pool come the Beijing Olympics. While taking hits like this is uncomfortable and frustrating, we have got to keep our eyes on the bigger picture.”

The 17th-ranked Ferns are due to face China again later in the tournament, which will provide a real measure of their progress.

Tonight, they face Argentina (12th), who had supposedly withdraw from the event, but were in China when the Kiwis arrived on Tuesday.

Jin Quiang Cup
Chengdou, China
Wednesday, June 13
China 88 NZ Tall Ferns 46 (Jess McCormack 12, Noni Wharemate 12, Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe 10)
Quarter 24-16
Halftime 44-29 (20-13)
Threequarter 70-37 (26-8)