POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Marques Whippy
The first day of competition has started in a frenzy today at the Taurama Aquatic Centre. Men's pool matches kicked us off, with Samoa v Kiribati, Guam vsTahiti, Fiji vs Nauru and host nation PNG took on New Caledonia to finish the night.
SAM 108 def Kiribati 86
Samoa eased into the tournament with a comfortable win over the boys from Kiribati. Samoa got off to a 18-4 run in the first five minutes and were never threatened from there. Theodore McFarland had a huge game, scoring 39 points. For Kiribati, Cliff Collins did his best to keep his team in the game, scoring 23 points and 7 rebounds. Kiribati will now have a day to recover as they have the day 2 bye, whilst for Samoa, they face a tough Guam outfit keen for their first win of the tournament.
GUM 66 def by Tahiti 76
In what looks to be the battle for top spot in Pool A, Tahiti have scored first blood against a tough Guam outfit. Tahiti went on a 14-4 run late in the first quarter, and despite a number of tries, Guam could never get back in front, with Tahiti running out 10 point winners. Guam captain William Stinnett (186-G-86, college: Wenatchee Valley CC) led his team superbly , scoring the first double-double of the tournament with 16 points and 13 rebounds. A key factor in this game was Tahiti's ability to contain Guam big guy, Jonathan Galloway, with Galloway fouling out early in the last quarter. For Tahiti, 4 players scored in double digits, captain Ariirimarau Meuel leading the way with 17 points. With Guam still awaiting the arrival of Tai Wesley from the NZ NBL finals, these two teams are shaping up to be key contenders for the top places and it will be interesting to see if this first up victory will give the Tahitians an edge come the later rounds. Guam will now look to bounce back against Samoa in what should be an even game, whilst Tahiti will face the unknown quantity of the Solomon Islands.
Fiji 126 def Nauru 52
Fiji have sent a warning to all the other teams with a comprehensive 126-52 defeat of Nauru. Fiji started the game in dominant fashion, scoring 32 points to 5 in the first quarter and continued on their merry way for the rest of the game. Coach Koroi was able to rotate his squad and ensure there was no fatigue following their late night arrival only a couple of days ago. Marques Whippy (193-PF-86, college: BYU-Hawaii) showed he is in great touch, shooting 22 points at 82% along with 5 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals. Of some concern for Fiji would be captain Leonard Whippy (180-G-82, college: BYU-Hawaii) only managing 7 minutes on court- although with the game in the bag in the first quarter, Coach Koroi was most likely wanting to keep his point guard fresh for the long tournament ahead. It was a tough first up game for Nauru, but Marcus Detenamo top scored with 13 points to lead his team. Fiji now face a much tougher test against the boys from New Caledonia, whilst Nauru have a day to lick their wounds before facing American Samoa on Sunday.
PNG 74 def by New Caledonia 77
In what was the match of the day, New Caledonia have spoilt the opening night of competition for local team PNG by 3 points. With scores close throughout the game, PNG coach Joel Khalu will be rueing a late 3rd quarter run where New Cal went from being 1 point down to leading by 8 at 3 quarter time. With a vocal home crowd behind them, PNG were unable to make use of a final possession to take the game into overtime, with Matiinenge Leahy's 3 point attempt falling short just before the final buzzer. Lloyd Wright and Apia Muri tried hard for PNG, scoring 15 points apiece. Whilst for New Caledonia, Stephane Saminadin was on fire from long range, scoring 6 3-pointers at 100% for his 22 points. New Caledonia will take on Fiji tomorrow, whilst PNG will hope to go into the opening ceremony on a high as they take on American Samoa fresh from the day 1 bye.
Courtesy of: Pacific Games
