Basketball New Zealand

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Victorious Australian Opals and supporter (Photosport)

Like the champions they are, the Australian Opals repelled a promising Kiwi comeback in the best manner possible, pounding the NZ Tall Ferns 87-46 in Dunedin to maintain their unbeaten record in the history of the FIBA Oceania Championships.

The home team were battling strongly and had closed to within 12 points late in the third quarter when the Aussies simply decided enough was enough, unreeling a 35-2 run that carried them well clear for another regional title.

ìWe were very pleased obviously,î observed Australian coach Jan Stirling. ìI thought we sustained a fairly high level of intensity Ö we had a bit of a lapse in the third quarter, but pulled away and finished very strongly.

ìWe have had a criticism of us in the past that we donít actually kill a game off and I thought we did that quite well today. Our team goal was to dominate every area we could and statistically we certainly did that.î

Aussie skipper Natalie Porter opened the scoring when she rebounded her own miss, then added two more quick baskets by posting up under the basket and stealing possession in the open court.

By the time the Kiwis finally found their target with a three-point play from Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe, the Aussies were already into double figures. Natalie Purcell struck from the arc to get the Ferns back within three, but by the end of the opening quarter, the Opals were up 22-13 and Porter scored again to take the margin into double figures once more soon after the restart.

They took a 15-point bulge into halftime, courtesy of a defensive effort that had restricted the home team to just 30.8% FG. New Zealand were taking a beating on the boards (14-26) too, but had only committed five turnovers despite the pressure.

Midway through the third term, Renae Camino made a lay-up to take the lead to 20 points, but Micaela Cocks and Toni Edmondson scored consecutively, then Lisa Pardon connected from the arc as the Kiwis rallied.

Pardon struck again moments later to close within a dozen, but Camino halted the Opalsí slide and 10 unanswered points had the margin out to 65-40 with a quarter remaining. A lay-up from Rohanee Cox put the Aussies 30 clear early in the final term and the plucky Kiwis were officially out of steam.

Porter led all scorers with 14 points, while Camino had 12 in 16 minutes off the bench. The Opals dominated the boards, grabbing almost as many offensive rebounds (18) as the Kiwis had defensively (19).

ìActually, I thought we played much better tonight,î lamented Tall Ferns coach Mike McHugh. ìIn fact, midway through the third quarter, I thought we exerted quite a deal of pressure on the Australian girls.

ìBut they are a quality basketball nation and they know the best way to fight that is put the pressure back on us. Our girls are young and inexperienced Ö and thatís the result.î

ìThey stepped it up, pressured us defensively and took us out of what we were doing well.î

Tiny point guard Angela Marino was the only local scoring in double figures with 10 (4/13 FG, 2/4 FT) and, as a team, the Ferns were wayward from the field (26.6%) and the charity strip (46.7%).

They finished with just 12 turnovers, but the Australiansí pressure had the effect of disrupting their transition and leaving them very little time to find open looks in the half court.

The championships ended with Australia and New Zealand now both qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but the Kiwis still needing to win the approval of their national selectors.

ìRemember, we donít have to beat Australia at the Olympics,î emphasized McHugh. ìThey are going to win a gold medal, while we are going to get out of pool play.

ìDonít compare us with Australia Ö weíre not that good. They are the world champions.î

FIBA Oceania Championships

Dunedin
Saturday, September 29
Australia 87 (Natalie Porter 14, Renae Camino 12, Carly Wilson 11) NZ 46 (Angela Marino 10) FT
Quarter 22-13
Halftime 37-22 (15-9)
Threequarter 65-40 (28-18)
Fulltime 87-46 (22-6)
Box Score – Australia v NZ (html 23KB)