Ferns Stand Tall In Defeat
Tagged in: Tall Ferns
World champions Australia have kept their title defence on course by dispatching the NZ Tall Ferns 97-57 in Canberra to retain the FIBA Oceania Championship for Women and capture the zone’s sole qualifying spot at next year’s global tournament.
The plucky Kiwis, including eight rookies, showed a measure of progress from their 50-point loss in the opening encounter of this home-and-away series two days ago, but never enough to close down a balanced Opals offence that featured the inside presence of teenage giant Liz Cambage and a relentless long range barrage.
“We made some great improvements and it was only some indiscipline towards the end that prevented us getting even closer,” enthused Ferns coach Shawn Dennis. “I thought we had a chance of getting within 30.
“Our execution on offence was genuinely a lot better. They really got after our guards tonight, but we still got some great open looks and as the girls get more confidence, those shots will start dropping.
“At the end of the day, Australia are a class act and showed why they have stayed around the top of the world rankings for so long.”
From the start, the home team looked to Cambage, who fully capitalized on her 12cm height advantage over rival centre Kim Barnes. They broke the game open with an early 17-2 run that featured treys from Natalie Hurst and Hollie Grima, a three-point play from Cambage and a rare four-point play from Jess Bibby.
The Opals shot a blistering 60% FG and 8/18 3pt over the first half, and Cambage already had 13 points (6/7 FG) as they held a 53-27 advantage at the break.
The Ferns were hanging on by their fingernails, but were forced to rely on a lopsided free throw count (12/17 FT) to stay even that close.
The cause was not helped with forward Toni Edmondson, their leading scorer with 19 points in Game One, shackled by foul trouble. She was back on the sidelines with her fourth personal midway through the third quarter, but still emerged with a team-high 11 points.
“That was probably a lack of experience on Toni’s part,” observed Dennis. “She has to learn not to commit those cheap fouls, but they obviously keyed on her a bit more tonight too.
“If we can put the likes of [Beijing Olympians] Jillian Harmon, Micaela Cocks and Angela Marino around her, that will give her more freedom to use her athleticism in the future.”
As the second half wore on, New Zealand put together some promising periods, including an 11-2 run in the final quarter that took them past 50 points. Dennis was also satisfied that his team’s defensive adjustments helped cool the Opals’ shooting to 46% FG and 37% 3pt by fulltime.
“That was a win for us. The Aussies have a mentality that, regardless of the margin, they don’t back off, so I was stoked to keep them under 100 points.”
These small victories were never enough to truly challenge their opponents. Bibby eventually led all scorers with 19 points, including four of her team’s 14 three-pointers, while Cambage obliged with 18 from around the basket.
Australia became the eighth nation to qualify for the 16-team world championship draw, joining hosts the Czech Republic, Olympic champions the United States, and European powers France, Russia, Spain, Belarus and Greece.
The Tall Ferns must turn their sights towards the 2012 Olympics and will be cheering the Aussies on in the knowledge that if they can retain their world crown, the Opals will secure automatic qualification for London and the Oceania spot will again be up for grabs.
Dennis is confident he now has a squad that should carry the women’s programme for the next decade.
“The big thing for us is to help these young girls get the consistent training they need and some exposure to international basketball, while also involving those players who weren’t here this year,” he says.
“I am encouraged that these players are very excited by the programme and what we have shown them over the past week. It’s good to know they are enthusiastic to be part of this.”
FIBA Oceania Championship for Women
Canberra, Australia
September 2, 2009
Australia 97 (Jessica Bibby 19, Liz Cambage 18, Elyse Penaluna 10) New Zealand 57 (Toni Edmondson 11)
Q1 - 27-15
HT - 53-27 (26-12)
Q3 - 72-41 (19-14)
FT - 97-57 (25-16)
Australia win series 2-0
