POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Emma Lobb
Australia - Guam 92:12
Australian team cruised to the second win at the Oceania tournament. They thumped Guam to climb at 2-0 record on top of the standings. Guam in the meantime slipped at 1-3 record.
Australia entered the game as obvious favorites and did not waste too much time to prove it. They outscored Guam 20:5 in the starting frame to earn a healthy lead. The second term turned into a real disaster for Guam. They missed all of their 10 field goals and came up empty in the quarter. Australia on the other hand accounted for 26 points to extend the margin at 41 points. Guam continued to struggle offensively in the third stanza. They managed just 2 points allowing Australia to run away for good.
Emma Lobb (188-F-90) knocked down 22 points to pace Australia. Caitlin Rowe (187-F/C-91) added 20 points and 16 boards, while Rebecca Cole had 14 points in the victory. Ritalynn Anderson and Kathryn Castro provided 6 points each for Guam in defeat.
Australia outrebounded their opponents 70:17 and forced those to 23 turnovers.
Australia: Emma Lobb 22, Caitlin Rowe 20+16 boards, Rebecca Cole 14
Guam: Ritalynn Anderson 6, Kathryn Castro 6
Northern Mariana Islands - New Zealand 27:139
New Zealand eased to the second straight win at the Oceania championship in Saipan. They crunched the hosts in the third round of action to share the top spot in the ladder with Australia. Northern Mariana Islands fell at 0-3 record at the start.
New Zealand got advantage of 16 turnovers from the home team in the opening frame to account for 31 points as they grabbed a 27-point advantage. New Zealand went on with the onslaught in the second frame. They limited their opponents to just 7 points in the period and piled up a 48-point lead at the interval. New Zealand showed some rare offensive exposure in the third quarter. They knocked down massive 48 points to stun CNMI. The Kiwis cruised to an improbable 139-points mark at the end of the game and celebrated resounding victory.
Miriam Slatter poured in 29 points and 9 boards to lead New Zealand. Miranda Caldwell (174-G-88) had 23 points, 11 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Concepcion Camacho responded with 16 points for Northern Mariana Islands. She however added 16 turnovers to her tally. New Zealand outrebounded the hosts 69:28 and forced those to woeful 60 turnovers.
CNMI: Concepcion Camacho 16, Li'Amwar Ramgamar 3
New Zealand: Miriam Slatter 29, Miranda Caldwell 23+11 boards, Zoe Kensington 21
Australia - New Zealand 77:62
Australia remained a standout team at the Oceania tournament. They posted the third straight win overcoming the archrivals New Zealand today in Saipan. Australia climbed at 3-0 record, leaving New Zealand at 2-1 in the second position.
Australia dominated in the opening frame winning the battle on the boards. They earned a 19:12 advantage at the first intermission. But New Zealand were ready for the challenge. Zoe Kensington stepped up for the Kiwis as they struck back in the second period. New Zealand won the frame trimming the margin to just 4 points at halftime. But Australia proved the strength after the main break. Rebecca Cole and Caitlin Rowe ignited a decisive rally in the third frame that put Australia in charge for good. They built an 11-point cushion into the final frame and never looked back en route to the victory. Caitlin Rowe and Rebecca Cole produced 18 points apiece to lead Australia. Samantha Creed had 14 points in the winning case. Zoe Kensington provided 16 points for New Zealand. Jelena Vucinic had 13 points in the losing effort.
Australia outrebounded their opponents 50:37 and managed to overcome 26 turnovers down the stretch.
Australia: Caitlin Rowe 18, Rebecca Cole 18, Samantha Creed 14
New Zealand: Zoe Kensington 16, Jelena Vucinic 13
New Caledonia - Guam 47:31
New Caledonia recorded the second consecutive victory at the Oceania championship held in Saipan. Earlier today they held off Guam to improve at 2-1 record. Guam suffered the third loss and slipped at 1-3 record in the standings.
The game turned into a physical battle as the teams concentrated on defense. A low-scoring affair saw New Caledonia grab an 11:7 advantage after ten minutes. Guam adjusted their defense in the second quarter outrebounding the opponents 20:15 but had little profit out of the fact. Guam sank just 3/26 from the field and lost the quarter 6:15. Guam fought bravely in the third stanza as they managed to limit New Caledonia to just 7 points and clipped the deficit. But the margin still read double digits and New Caledonia cruised to the victory at the end.
Clarissa Passa and Yolande Luepak secured 11 points apiece for New Caledonia. Diana Moutry had 8 points and 11 rebounds for the winning side. Derin Santos answered with 10 points and 7 rebounds for Guam. Brianna Benito notched 6 points and 7 rebounds in defeat.
New Caledonia will face New Zealand for the second overall spot on Thursday.
New Caledonia: Clarissa Passa 11, Yolande Luepak 11, Diana Moutry 8+11 boards
Guam: Derin Santos 10, Brianna Benito 6
