Basketball New Zealand

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The NZ Tall Ferns gave Kiwis another reason to feel proud on ANZAC Day, pulling off an historic victory over their allies in battle, but their rivals in sport – Australia – at the Good Luck Beijing tournament in China.

New Zealand had simply never beaten the Opals – the reigning world champions – before tonight. The closest they had ever come was an eight-point loss in Napier during the 2005 FIBA Oceania Championships.

At last year’s Oceania final in Dunedin, the Aussies enjoyed a 41-point victory. If it had been a horse race, they would have lapped their over-matched opponents.

Two short weeks ago, during a camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, these Ferns were on the wrong end of a 39-84 drubbing in an unofficial practice game.

But showing customary grit and some poise down the stretch, they have hung on for a 63-59 at the official Olympic test event for basketball, capping off a week of steady improvement that had seen them fall agonisingly short against some of the world’s best teams … until now.

“It was just awesome,” gushed Ferns coach Mike McHugh, a native Australian himself. “I don’t think I’ve been associated with a New Zealand team that has played as well as they did tonight.

“We’re delighted with the result, but it has been coming and it came against the right team. A few weeks ago, they beat us by 40, so we have made some pretty good ground in that time.

“It’s obviously a big moment in the Tall Fern programme.”

Trailing 22-27 at halftime, the Ferns unleashed 15 unanswered points midway through the third quarter and somewhat surprisingly found themselves five ahead entering the final stretch. The margin reached six (54-48) with five minutes remaining and it was a matter of finding the self belief to hold on.

“We kept them to 11 points in that third quarter and that was the turning point of the game,” observed McHugh. “Then, we just hung in there through pure guts and determination.

“It wasn’t anything special or classy or technically brilliant … just hard work. Down the track, that will be the stamp of this team.”

Indeed, the Aussies seemed to dominate key statistical areas. They grabbed 22 offensive rebounds, forced the Ferns into 22 turnovers, 13 of them clean steals, were awarded twice as many free throws and attempted more shots from the field.

That would usually be enough to win.

But the Kiwis forced the Opals into just as many turnovers and kept them to just 27% FG. They were also clutch – 93% (13/14) – from the charity line.

“Credit our defence,” said McHugh. “They just didn’t get good shots … all their shots were contested.

“We have to keep teams to scores we can get. In previous games, Korea and China scored in teh 90s and we just can’t win those games.”

While generations of Kiwi women have suffered cruelly at the hands of the Opals over the years, US-based Jillian Harmon, whose mother was born in New Zealand, simply led the Tall Ferns to victory in her first outing against the green-and-gold.

Her double double of 15 points (5/9 FG, 5/6 FT) and 11 rebounds helped the Ferns to a unlikely 28-20 scoring advantage in the paint against their bigger rivals.

“I’m just really excited to get my first win as a member of the New Zealand Tall Ferns and to beat Australia, something I don’t think they’ve ever done,” said Harmon. “We really stuck with each other through this week and every result has gotten a little bit closer to this win.”

Adelaide-based point guard Angela Marino has been repeatedly victimised in previous defeats, but set that bogey to rest with 12 points (3/9 FG, 2/3 3pt, 4/4 FT).

The Tall Ferns planned to attend an ANZAC Day function at the NZ Embassy in Beijing and must then return to Planet Earth for a fifth/sixth playoff game against Korea on Saturday.

Good Luck Beijing

Beijing, China
Thursday, April 24
NZ Tall Ferns 63 (Jillian Harmon 15, Angela Marino 12) Australia 59 (Rohanee Cox 12, Natalie Porter 10)
Q 11-13
HT 22-27 (11-14)
3Q 43-38 (21-11)
FT 63-59 (20-21)

Box Score – NZ v Australia (171KB)