POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
New Caledonia - American Samoa 50:66
New Caledonia team lost two more games at South Pacific Games in Samoa. They remain winless and occupy the 6th spot in the ladder. New Caledonia players though looked solid in the opening frame against still undefeated American Samoa. They kept it close with the favorites and a couple of successful plays at the end of the quarter saw them grab a 13:12 lead. American Samoa regained control in the second term but New Caledonia stayed close. They trailed by just 5 points at halftime 24:29. But it seemed that New Caledonia players run out of steam in the third quarter and American Samoa started to gradually pull off. They posted a strong 20:8 rally in the third stanza and cleared off to insurmountable 49:32 lead. New Caledonia managed to outscore their counterparts in the final part of the game but it had little impact on the result. Marie-Helene Trocas and Yolene Koteureu produced 8 points apiece in a losing effort.
New Caledonia - Papua New Guinea 66:86
New Caledonia then faced Papua New Guinea in the fifth round. And again New Caledonia performed a consistent basketball in the first half. They established a narrow lead at halftime 40:39. The gap just grew in the third quarter as New Caledonia looked dominant on the court. However Papua New Guinea sparked with a surprisingly overwhelming fourth frame as they outscored New Caledonia 35:11 to complete the game with a comprehensive victory. Yolande Luepack delivered 20 points for New Caledonia. The losing side knocked down 48% from the field. They pulled down 38 rebounds and committed just 11 turnovers.
New Caledonia will face Solomon Islands in the last round of preliminaries.
New Caledonia - American Samoa 50:66
New Caledonia: Marie-Helene Trocas 8, Yolene Koteureu 8
American Samoa: Derisa Taleni 19, Shara Tauai- Yandall 16
New Caledonia - Papua New Guinea 66:86
New Caledonia: Yolande Luepack 20, Seilala Folituu 11
PNG: Peggy Muri 27, Nape Waka 19
Freiburg keeps Lucet for another season
