POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Emma Lobb
New Zealand - New Caledonia 101:43
New Zealand claimed the second spot in the preliminary pool. They beat New Caledonia to improve at 3-1 record. New Caledonia slipped at 2-2 record in the third position.
New Caledonia were plagued by turnovers as they committed 61 of those. Eighteen happened in the opening frame as New Zealand took control. The Emerging Tall Ferns cleared off to an 8-point advantage at the first break. New Zealand continued to mount the pressure as they built a 24-point lead at the interval. The third period turned into a real disaster for New Caledonia as they managed just 7 points and entered the final quarter down by 47 points. The Emerging Tall Ferns cruised to the victory in the final stanza as three players completed the encounter with 16 points apiece. Jelena Vucinic, Zoe Kensington and Emma Gillespie led the charge for New Zealand. Miranda Caldwell added 15 points and 8 boards for the winners. Myriam Fenuafanote responded with 16 points and 6 rebounds for New Caledonia.
New Zealand outrebounded their opponents 47:36 and sank 48% from the field.
The semifinal game are slated to be played tomorrow.
New Zealand: Jelena Vucinic 16, Zoe Kensington 16, Emma Gillespie 16
New Caledonia: Myriam Fenuafanote 16, Yolande Luepak 8
Northern Mariana Islands - Australia 24:97
Australia celebrated the fourth consecutive win at the Oceania championship in Saipan. They held off Northern Mariana Islands on the last day of the preliminary round. Australia advanced into the semifinals from the top spot and would now face Guam. Northern Mariana Islands had their backs against wall with no wins before the game. But the difference was overwhelming as Australia started to prove that right after the start. The Aussie team raced to a 15-point lead after ten minutes. Australia maintained the lead and though Northern Mariana Islands played it safe committing not that many turnovers they could not threaten the margin. Australia stretched the gap to as many as 37 points at halftime. The offensive struggled persisted for the hosts in the second half. They accounted for only 12 points in the next two frames allowing Australia to coast to the win. Hope Terdich (192-F-86) and Rebecca Cole came up with 16 points apiece for Australia. Emma Lobb (188-F-90) added 14 points and 18 rebounds in the victory. Concepcion Camacho responded with 10 points for Northern Mariana Islands. Nicole Lebria had 7 points in defeat.
The semifinals are scheduled for tomorrow.
CNMI: Concepcion Camacho 10, Nicole Lebria 7
Australia: Hope Terdich 16, Rebecca Cole 16, Emma Lobb 14+18 boards
