Pardon Tops For Threes
Tagged in: Kiwis Abroad, Tall Ferns
With her team still in contention for the Australian Women’s National Basketball League title, former Tall Fern Lisa Pardon received further accolades earlier this week.
The two guard was announced the three-point shooting award winner on Tuesday, after dropping 45.6 percent of her three-point attempts during the 2008-09 season.
Pardon made 31-of-68 triples for the Bulleen Boomers (17-6), who will host the Townsville Fire on Friday for a place in the WNBL Final against the Canberra Capitals.
The next best was Bendigo’s Kristi Harrower at 41.1 percent, making 39-of-95 in 19 games during the regular season.
Last Friday, Pardon scored five points (2/6 FG, 1/2 3pt) with a block in 17 minutes in Bulleen’s 60-52 road loss to Canberra in the qualifying semifinal, setting up this week’s win-or-go-home preliminary final against Tall Ferns Aneka Kerr, Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe and Townsville.
The Fire stayed alive with a 91-78 home win over the defending champion Adelaide Lightning on Saturday in the second semifinal.
Kerr scored 17 points (8/9 FG, 1/4 FT) with six rebounds and two steals in 23 minutes, and McMeeken-Ruscoe went scoreless (0/1 FG, 0/1 3pt) in three minutes for Townsville, while Tall Ferns point guard Angela Marino had just a point (0/4 FG, 0/1 3pt, 1/2 FT) and a rebound in 19 minutes as Adelaide’s title defence came to an end.
Tall Ferns forward Jillian Harmon became the 29th female player in Stanford University history to score 1000 points when she banked in a jumper early in the second half of a 69-58 road win over UCLA on Thursday.
Needing eight points to reach four figures, Harmon finished with 12 points (5/8 FG, 0/1 3pt, 2/2 FT), three assists, two rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 38 minutes for the Cardinal.
“I was aware of it, but it didn’t occur to me during the game, I was caught up in the moment of playing,” Harmon said.
“It’s an honor, but I’m just glad the team is playing well and hopefully we can get our team back to the Final Four so individual stuff doesn’t matter much right now.”
Harmon also scored seven points (2/6 FG, 3/5 FT), with five boards and two assists in 36 minutes as Stanford completed their LA double-header with an 85-74 road win over USC on Sunday, lifting them to 24-4 on the season and 15-1 in the Pac-10 conference.
Also in the Pac-10, Tall Ferns guard Micaela Cocks finished with seven points (3/10 FG, 1/4 3pt), four rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes in Oregon’s 70-41 road loss to Oregon State on Saturday, leaving the Ducks 9-18 overall and 5-11 in-conference.
Harbour guard Kezia Kelly saw five minutes of court-time in Washington State’s 76-35 road loss to Arizona State on Saturday, dropping the Cougars to 11-17, 4-13 in the Pac-10.
Further West and into the Pacific, Harbour forward Rebecca Dew managed a point (0/1 FG, 1/2 FT), three boards, an assist and block in nine minutes in Hawaii’s 68-67 home win over Boise State on Sunday, following on from two points (1/2 FG) and an assist in five minutes in a 63-60 home loss to Idaho on Thursday. The Rainbow Wahine sit at 7-21 overall and 4-11 in the WAC.
Former Junior Tall Fern Kim Barnes scored eight points (4/12 FG, 0/2 FT) and seven rebounds, two blocks and an assist in 27 minutes in a 50-35 home loss to UC-Riverside on Saturday. She also had six points (2/3 FG, 2/4 FT), three rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 21 minutes in a 66-65 home loss to Long Beach State on Thursday.
Hailey Purcell, younger sister of Tall Ferns Natalie and Charmian Purcell, saw her team’s Ohio Valley conference losing streak extend to 18 games last week in a 72-50 home loss to Morehead State on Saturday. Purcell had a point (0/1 FG, 1/2 FT) and a block in 10 minutes.
At NCAA-D2 level, Harbour’s Amanda Harris and Waikato’s Alana Auld saw their seasons end in the West Virginia Intercollegiate conference tournament earlier this week.
Harris had two points (1/3 FG), six assists, three steals, two rebounds and a block in 29 minutes in ninth-seeded Alderson-Broaddus’ 62-55 road loss to West Virginia State on Monday. Harris had seven points (2/8 FG, 1/5 3pt, 2/2 FT), seven boards, four assists and two steals in 31 minutes in a 58-49 home win over Davis & Elkins on Saturday to end the regular season.
Auld went for 14 points (5/12 FG, 0/2 3pt, 4/5 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 34 minutes for 13th seeds Ohio Valley in a 67-50 road loss to Fairmont State. Auld produced 17 points (5/10 FG, 0/1 3pt, 7/10 FT), three steals, two boards and a block in 15 minutes in the Lady Fighting Scots 89-71 road loss to Seton Hill on Friday.
In NAIA division one, Canterbury’s Donna Lavea helped number three ranked Lambuth to a pair of wins last week to end the Lady Eagles’ regular season at 23-5.
Lavea had 12 points (5/9 FG, 2/4 FT), seven rebounds, three blocks and a steal in 17 minutes in an 84-73 home win over Martin Methodist on Thursday, and five points (2/5 FG, 1/2 FT), six boards, two steals, an assist and block in 16 minutes of a 68-48 road win over Lyon College on Saturday.
