Basketball New Zealand

Tall Ferns captain Aneka Kerr had 21 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes for Townsville (Photosport)

Tall Ferns captain Aneka Kerr went for almost a point-a-minute in the latest round of the Australian Women’s National Basketball League.

Kerr produced 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line in just 23 minutes as her Townsville Fire squad, including international team-mate Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe, rolled the Bulleen Boomers 89-63 in tropical North Queensland on Friday night.

Kerr also produced seven rebounds, two steals and an assist while McMeeken-Ruscoe went point-less (0/4 FG, 0/1 3pt) in nine minutes on court as Townsville improved to 7-1 and third in the WNBL behind the Canberra Capitals and Adelaide Lightning.

Former Tall Fern Lisa Pardon put up 16 points (7/10 FG, 2/3 3pt), three assists, two rebounds and a steal in 29 minutes for Bulleen.

Pardon scored six points (2/8 FG, 1/6 3pt, 1/2 FT) with four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes a night later as Bulleen held on for a 73-67 win over the Logan Thunder in Brisbane on Saturday, lifting them to 8-3.

Tall Ferns forward Natalie Purcell produced 12 points (5/17 FG, 2/8 3pt) with six rebounds, an assist and steal in 34 minutes for Logan (2-7).

Angela Marino, the Tall Ferns diminutive point guard, tallied 15 points (4/9 FG, 3/7 3pt, 4/4 FT) and an assist and rebound in 38 minutes as the Lightning (8-1) routed AIS 73-49 in the nation’s Capital on Friday.

Former Tall Fern Adrianne Gilbert got six minutes on court (0/1 FG, 0/1 3pt) with a rebound in the Sydney Flames 89-82 loss to the league-leading Canberra Capitals in Sydney on Friday.

In Europe, Tall Ferns forward Lisa Wallbutton and her Belgian club, Dexia Namur, suffered their first loss of the season, falling 74-66 to Botas Spor in Adana, Turkey, on Thursday in the women’s EuroCup.

Wallbutton produced eight points (4/9 FG, 0/1 3pt), six rebounds, an assist and steal in 29 minutes in the loss, which ended a run of 11 straight wins to start the year. Dexia (4-1) have already qualified for the round of 32 ahead of their final group L game against Spartak MR Noginsk at home on Thursday.

Dexia and Wallbutton quickly started a new winning streak on Saturday, rolling to a 91-59 win over neighbours Novia Munalux Namur in round nine of the Belguim division one women’s league, improving to 8-0. Wallbutton had seven points (2/4 FG, 3/3 FT), three rebounds, two steals and an assist in 14 minutes.

Heading Stateside, Tall Ferns back-up guard Micaela Cocks produced the best numbers of the New Zealand collegians.

Cocks had two 20-point games as her Oregon Ducks went 1-2 last week, evening their season record at 2-2 in NCAA-D1 non-conference play.

The Harbour product scored a career-high 25 points (8/16 FG, 3/9 3pt, 6/11 FT) with three rebounds and an assist in 40 minutes in a 76-71 home win over Pacific University on Tuesday. She then had seven points (2/13 FG, 1/6 3pt, 2/2 FT) and four rebounds in 37 minutes in a 67-45 loss to BYU in Provo, Utah, on Friday, and 20 points (6/14 FG, 2/6 3pt, 6/6 FT), four rebounds and a steal in 34 minutes in an 80-63 loss to South Dakota State on Sunday in Brookings, South Dakota.

Tall Ferns team-mate Jillian Harmon scored 13 points (4/6 FG, 5/5 FT), three rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes in the Stanford Cardinal’s 84-46 blowout of New Mexico at home on Thursday. She followed with nine points (2/3 FG, 1/2 3pt, 4/5 FT), three rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes in an 81-47 rout of Rutgers on Sunday, improving to 3-1.

Sticking with the Pac-10 conference, Kezia Kelly had three points (1/1 FG, 1/2 FT), three rebounds, two steals and an assist in 11 minutes in Washington State’s 78-66 win over Montana State at home on Sunday. Kelly had an assist and rebound in seven minutes in the Wazzu’s 85-76 win over Boise State on Thursday.

Alana Auld put up impressive numbers in her first action for Ohio Valley University in NCAA-D2 play.

The Church College alum had 17 points (7/18 FG, 1/6 3pt, 2/8 FT), eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in 38 minutes in OVU’s 89-75 win over Bluefield College at last Monday. She produced 19 points (9/16 FG, 0/3 3pt, 1/5 FT), four assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block in 36 minutes in a 79-46 win over Salem International on Wednesday in their first conference game.

In Tennessee, Donna Lavea produced her second double-double of the NAIA season, with 13 points (6/12 FG, 1/1 FT) and 12 rebounds in 17 minutes in Lambuth University’s 65-52 win over St Xavier on Saturday at the Rotary Classic tournament in hometown Jackson.

Earlier in the tournament, Lavea had five points (2/6 FG, 1/2 FT), four rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes in a 77-61 loss to Azusa Pacific University in the first round on Thursday, then put up seven points (3/5 FG, 1/2 FT), two rebounds and a block in 10 minutes in the Lady Eagles’ 85-72 win over Loyola on Friday.

Cantabrian Miranda Caldwell had a point (1/2 FT) in two minutes in Florida Southern College’s 79-67 win against Georgia Southwestern on the road on Saturday, while Pina Lissaman and Warrick Wood, assistant coaches with the women at Rose-Hulman Tech, saw their Lady Engineers split their road double-header to start their NAIA season at the Emory Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia.