Wallbutton Hits Double Digits
Tagged in: Kiwis Abroad, Tall Ferns
Tall Fern Lisa Wallbutton produced her best performance in Europe as her Belgian club extended their six-game win streak to start the season last week.
Wallbutton, who averaged 10.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Tall Ferns at the Beijing Olympics, scored 12 points (6/8 FG) and added three rebounds, an assist and steal in 15 minutes as Dexia Namur defeated Turkey’s Botas Spor 84-58 at home in the women’s EuroCup on Thursday.
The power forward was Dexia’s second leading scorer against Botas and it was her first time in double-figures in points in six games.
The win was Dexia’s second straight in the EuroCup, seeing them atop group L at 2-0 in the preliminary round, while Wallbutton’s new club has also gone 4-0 to start the Belgian women’s season.
Wallbutton’s international team-mates Aneka Kerr and Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe also remained unbeaten with their club, the Townsville Fire, after round five of the Australian Women’s National Basketball League.
Kerr had three points (1/5 FG, 1/2 FT), nine rebounds, three steals and an assist in 26 minutes, while McMeeken-Ruscoe went scoreless with an assist in nine minutes as the Fire improved to 4-0 with a 70-58 away win over Tall Ferns team-mate Natalie Purcell and the Logan Thunder on Friday.
Purcell contributed six points (2/8 FG, 2/5 FT), a rebound, block, steal and assist in 35 minutes but could not prevent the Thunder falling to 2-4.
Staying in Australia, Tall Ferns point guard Angela Marino put up 13 points (3/8 FG, 2/5 3pt, 5/7 FT), five assists, two rebounds and a steal in 31 minutes as her Adelaide Lightning rolled the Bendigo Spirit 82-65 on the road on Saturday, improving to 5-1.
Former Tall Fern Lisa Pardon went scoreless as the Bulleen Boomers split their road double-header in the nation’s capital, going down 99-80 to the Canberra Capitals on Friday, before rebounding 78-64 over AIS on Saturday.
The first weekend in November signified season openers for many colleges and universities across the USA.
Tall Ferns guard Micaela Cocks led the way with 13 points (5/8 FG, 3/3 FT), four rebounds, a steal and assist in just 15 minutes as her Oregon Ducks routed Northwest Christian University 87-40 in their season opener at home in Eugene, Oregon.
Jillian Harmon, a Tall Ferns standout with 11.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in Beijing, managed seven points (3/6 FG, 1/1 FT), six rebounds, three assists and a steal in 20 minutes as last season’s beaten NCAA Championship finalists blew out Chico State 123-39 on Saturday night at home.
Freshman Rebecca Dew had four points (0/2 FG, 4/4 FT), two rebounds, an assist and block in 18 minutes, starting in her first college game, as the University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine defeated neighbouring BYU-Hawaii 66-60 on the big island last week.
Kim Barnes pulled down an impressive 12 rebounds and scored seven points (2/5 FG, 3/5 FT), with two steals and an assist in 34 minutes but her short-handed UC-Irvine Anteaters fell 78-73 in overtime to Cal Poly Pomona in their home opener.
Other Kiwi women involved in college programmes, due to get their seasons started in the next two weeks, include Kezia Kelly with the Washington State Cougars and Hailey Purcell with the UT-Martin Skyhawks, both NCAA D-1; Mandy Caldwell and Patrice McKenzie at Florida Southern College, Alana Auld at Ohio Valley University and Amanda Harris at Alderson Broaddus College in West Virginia, all NCAA D-2 schools; and Donna Lavea at high-performing NAIA school Lambuth University in Tennessee.
Tall Ferns centre Jess McCormack remained a Huskie in the off-season despite transferring from the University of Washington to powerhouse University of Connecticut. McCormack will sit out the 08-09 season, an NCAA requirement after transferring schools, which will allow her to practice with the team but not take part in games.
