Basketball New Zealand

Tall Fern Jillian Harmon lit up Hawaii for 18 points, including four triples, in the first half (Getty Images)

With her work done in the first half, Tall Ferns forward Jillian Harmon got to rest in the second.

Harmon scored 18 points, including 7-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-5 on three-point attempts in just 18 first-half minutes for her college team, Stanford, on the way to an 83-54 win over fellow Kiwi Rebecca Dew and the University of Hawaii yesterday in Honolulu.

Harmon, New Zealand’s leading rebounder at the Beijing Olympics in August, started the game hot, scoring the game’s first six points and the Cardinal’s first nine as they made quick work of the Rainbow Wahine.

The 21-year-old continued to rain in the long balls, hitting three more threes, boosting Stanford to a 41-24 halftime lead. She also added a rebound and steal to her stat-line.

With wins over Purdue (78-70 in overtime) and Iowa State (83-45) at the Waikiki Beach Classic, Stanford improved to 6-1 on the season and remained at number four in the national rankings.

Harmon had six points (2/7 FG, 0/1 3pt, 2/2 FT), five rebounds, four steals, an assist and block in 35 minutes against Purdue on Friday, and eight points (3/7 FG, 1/2 3pt, 1/1 FT), six rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes against Iowa State.

It was the opposite for Dew and Hawaii, going 0-3 at their own tournament, including losses to San Diego State and nationally-ranked Purdue and Stanford.

Dew had four points (2/2 FG) with a rebound in seven minutes against Stanford, three points (1/4 FG, 1/2 FT) and a rebound in 10 minutes against Purdue on Saturday and went scoreless (0/1 FT) with a board in seven minutes against San Diego State on Friday.

Harmon’s Tall Ferns team-mate Micaela Cocks led the Oregon Ducks to a 51-45 win over Wyoming at home on Saturday, contributing 12 points (5/12 FG, 2/4 3pt), three assists and a rebound in 30 minutes.

South Auckland product Kim Barnes scored four points (1/3 FG, 2/4 FT) with five boards and an assist in 34 minutes in UC-Irvine’s 58-53 win over San Diego on Sunday. Barnes went point-less (0/4 FG) with five rebounds, two blocks and an assist in 32 minutes in the Anteaters 85-63 loss to Cal State Bakersfield at home on Tuesday.

Staying on the Left Coast, Harbour guard Kezia Kelly posted six points (2/4 FG, 1/2 3pt, 1/2 FT) in seven minutes in Washington State’s 83-71 victory over South Florida at the odwalla Classic in San Francisco on Saturday. Kelly had no points (0/2 FG) with two rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes in the Cougars’ 86-79 loss to Northern Colorado in the tournament opener on Friday.

Hailey Purcell, younger sister of Tall Ferns Charmian and Natalie Purcell, had quiet performances as Tennessee-Martin dropped two of three games last week.

Purcell had two points (1/1 FG), two rebounds and an assist in nine minutes in a 73-70 win over SIU Edwardsville at home last week. She then compiled two points (1/5 FG) and four rebounds in 14 minutes in a 73-41 loss at the hands of Xavier in Cincinnati, then had no points and two boards in three minutes in a 54-49 loss to Winthrop on Saturday.

Mandy Caldwell aided division two Florida Southern in improving to 5-0 last week, contributing a point (0/6 FG, 0/1 3pt, 1/2 FT), three steals, two rebounds and an assist in 12 minutes in a 69-49 win over UPR-Rio Piedras on Wednesday, and no points (0/2 FG) and a rebounds in three minutes in a 67-47 win against UPR-Bayamon on Tuesday, both at home.

Meanwhile, assistant coach Pina Lissaman and Warrick Wood watched their Rose-Hulman Tech women’s team fall 72-68 to Webster University in St Louis on Tuesday.

Tall Ferns point guard Angela Marino scored 19 points (5/9 FG, 4/6 3pt, 5/6 FT), with four assists and four rebounds in 38 minutes as the defending champion Adelaide Lightning knocked off previous Australian Women’s National Basketball League leaders, the Canberra Capitals, 93-77 on Friday.

The Lightning improved to 9-1 after nine rounds.

With Canberra’s loss, Aneka Kerr and the Townsville Fire were able to move up to second at 8-1 with a 64-60 home win over the Dandenong Rangers on Saturday, with Kerr contributing nine points (4/6 FG, 1/3 FT), seven rebounds and an assist in 27 minutes, while Tall Ferns team-mate Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe did not suit up.

Former Tall Fern Lisa Pardon scored eight points (3/7 FG, 2/4 3pt) and added four rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes but could not stop Bulleen falling 80-71 to Bendigo on the road on Saturday.

Tall Ferns forward Natalie Purcell had six points (1/4 FG, 1/3 3pt, 3/4 FT), five boards and a steal in 26 minutes as the Logan Thunder dropped their sixth straight game, 67-51 to Dandenong at home on Friday.

In Europe, Ferns forward Lisa Wallbutton scored four points (2/4 FG) and had two rebounds in 12 minutes in her Belgium club Dexia Namur’s 93-65 home win over Spartak MR Noginsk in the women’s EuroCup on Thursday.

Dexia finished 5-1 and top of group L, qualifying for the sixteenth finals, where they will play their first leg game at the Czech Republic’s Kara Trotnov on December 11.

In the Belgian domestic league, Wallbutton produced two points (1/2 FG) and a rebound in 19 minutes as Dexia improved to 9-0 with a 65-48 win against Declercq Stortbeton Waregem on Sunday.