Basketball New Zealand

Tall Ferns guard Toni Edmondson finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds (Photosport)

Only a fourth-quarter scoring famine prevented the New Zealand Tall Ferns from an unexpected win over Japan, eventually falling 80-71, in Napier on Thursday night.

Japanese guard Yuko Oga scored a game-high 28 points and Ai Mitani hit five-of-seven threes as the tourists outscored the Tall Ferns 23-13 in the fourth quarter in front of a 2000-plus crowd at Pettigrew.Green Arena.

Guard Toni Edmondson and forward Lisa Wallbutton, team-mates with Albury Wodonga in the South East Australia Basketball League, both produced double-doubles for the Tall Ferns, Edmondson with a team-high 25 points and 10 rebounds and Wallbutton 24 points and a powerful 18 boards.

The Tall Ferns, together since Sunday under first-year head coach Shawn Dennis and including eight debutantes this week, still led Japan 58-57 entering the fourth quarter.

However, with their shots finding more iron than net to start the final period, New Zealand quickly fell behind as Japan went on a 13-2 spurt, including a pair of threes from Mitani, to lead 70-60 with six minutes remaining.

Japan, building for next month’s FIBA Asia Championship for Women in India, led by as many as 14 points before the Kiwis closed with seven of the game’s last nine points.

The Tall Ferns hit on just 6-of-21 shot attempts in the fourth quarter, after surprising the Japanese with their tenacious defence, rebounding and limited turnovers than the teams’ scrimmage 24 hours earlier.

Three-point shooting from Japan, the bronze medalists at the last Asian championship in 2007, was the difference in the game.

The tourists hit 8-of-18 from distance, Mitani’s unorthodox shooting style contributing five of those in her 19 points. By contrast, the Tall Ferns went 3-of-14 on long-balls, including 0-for-7 in the second half.

Japan shot 49 percent from the field while the Kiwis, who had 13 more field goal attempts, converted 39 percent.

With Wallbutton, who had six offensive, and Edmondson dominating the glass, New Zealand owned a 48-35 rebounding advantage, leading to 15 second chance points.

Double-international Suzie Bates came off the bench for 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, helping the Kiwi bench outscore Japan 16-8. Japan’s constant inside threat Noriko Koiso finished with 15 points, while Mitani also had a team-high eight rebounds.

Coming out with renewed defensive intensity to open the third period, the Tall Ferns stretched out to a nine-point lead, 49-40, with 7:21 remaining but a series of turnovers, including on four straight possessions, saw Japan come all the way back.

Over the next three-plus minutes, Japan put together a 13-2 run on the back of play from Koiso, who finished with 15 points, to take a 53-51 lead with two minutes left in the third.

The Tall Ferns led for much of the first quarter, with Wallbutton, Edmondson and Bates leading the way. Behind 11 points from Oga, Japan took a 21-18 lead into the first break, their speed and fast-break causing New Zealand problems.

Dennis went with Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe, who joined her mother Jane McMeeken on the list of Tall Ferns captains, Wallbutton, Edmondson and rookies Zoe Kensington and Kim Barnes in his starting five.

New Zealand meet the defending world champion Australian Opals, who rushed their coaching staff to Napier to watch the Ferns in action, in game one of the FIBA Oceania Championship for Women on Monday night at Porirua’s Te Rauparaha Arena, tip-off 7.30pm.

New Zealand vs Japan

Pettigrew.Green Arena, Napier

Thursday, August 27

Japan 80 (Yuko Oga 28, Ai Mitani 19, Noriko Koiso 15) New Zealand Tall Ferns 71 (Toni Edmondson 25, Lisa Wallbutton 24, Suzie Bates 10)
1Q: 21-18
HT: 38-41 (17-23)
3Q: 57-58 (19-17)
FT: 80-71 (23-13)