Opals Take Game One
Tagged in: National Teams, Tall Ferns
The Opals showed again why Australia is one of the best women’s basketball nations in the world as they swept by the New Zealand Tall Ferns 98-48 in game one of the FIBA Oceania Championship for Women on Monday night.
Teenage giant Liz Cambage destroyed the Tall Ferns on the boards and around the basket, scoring a game-high 22 points, taking a 50-point margin into game two of the series in Canberra on Wednesday night.
Coached by former Tall Ferns coach Carrie Graf, the Opals turned it on after a rusty first quarter, giving Shawn Dennis’ young Tall Ferns, who featured seven rookies, no chance in the second half.
Guard Toni Edmondson led New Zealand with 19 points and four blocks, while Natalie Purcell, who joined the team on Thursday, had eight points and nine rebounds.
Cambage, the 17-year-old star of the Australian Gems U19 team, continued to show the transition to senior internationals would be no drama.
The 2.03m centre shot 9-of-12 from the field and pulled down seven rebounds in an often times unstoppable performance.
Cambage was supported by fellow big Mariana Tolo and guard Jessica Bibby, a late call-up into the squad, both with 14 points and Hollie Grima and Jessica Foley with 12 points each.
After showing they could dominate inside, the Opals flashed some outside game early in the third period, with Foley and Alicia Poto connecting from deep as Australia stretched the lead out to 30 points, 57-27, with 7:35 left.
From there it was all about Cambage, who worked over the New Zealand forwards for 12 points in the quarter, including a pair of three-point plays, and controlling the glass at both ends. Cambage had 12 points in the third quarter, 16 of her game-high total coming in the second half.
In a result Graf described as rough, the Opals shot 52 percent from the floor, compared to 25 percent for the Tall Ferns, who also went 2-of-15 on three-point attempts.
New Zealand put up just four fewer shots from the floor but made 19 fewer baskets and were on the wrong end of the 50-26 rebounding, 38-22 points in the paint and 14-2 second chance points counts.
In a defensive first period, the Opals were able to use their height and strength advantage to good effect, scoring nine of their 16 first quarter points from the free-throw line as New Zealand tried to match Australia’s aggression.
With turnovers and forced shots dominating the early minutes, the teams combined to miss their first nine field goal attempts before Tall Ferns centre Kim Barnes gave New Zealand a 2-1 lead at the 6:46 mark.
The Opals held a 26-11 rebounding edge at halftime, helping them to score 18 points in the paint, with Tolo, Grima and Cambage giving the Tall Ferns migraines under the boards.
Australia shared the points around in the first half with Grima, Tolo and guard Bibby all with eight points and Foley also with seven. Edmondson was the go-to for the home squad, with 11 points, plus three blocks, in the first two quarters.
The Tall Ferns put up seven more field goal attempts in the first half but the shooting percentage disparity was as many as the score margin. The Opals converted 52 percent from the field while the Kiwis hit on just 25 percent, including 1-of-8 three-point attempts.
Game two of the FIBA Oceania Championship for Women will be played on Wednesday night at Canberra’s AIS Arena, tip-off 9pm (NZ time), live on Sky Sport 3.
FIBA Oceania Championship for Women
Game One
Monday, August 31
Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua
Australian Opals 98 (Liz Cambage 22, Jessica Bibby 14, Mariana Tolo 14, Hollie Grima 12, Jessica Foley 12) New Zealand Tall Ferns 48 (Toni Edmondson 17)
1Q: 16-9
HT: 45-25 (29-16)
3Q: 76-41 (31-16)
FT: 98-48 (22-7)
