POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Destiny King
Solomon Islands defeated by American Samoa 44-88
The women's competition was kick started by American Samoa taking on Solomon Islands. American Samoa's greater depth and shooting prowess led them to an 80-44 victory. Top scorers for the game Rhiena Ale and Destiny King (178-G) led American Samoa with 18 points each; Destiny King also pulling in 10 rebounds giving her a double double for the game. For Solomon Islands Maya Van Den Heever continued her form from the U19 Championships in Fiji with 11 points and 9 rebounds. In a worrying sign, Solomon Islands had 39 turnovers resulting in 31 cheap baskets for American Samoa. Solomon Islands will need to regroup as they take on Fiji tomorrow while for American Samoa, they will need to be prepared for a tougher test against the ladies from New Caledonia.
Guam defeated Nauru 116-25
Guam have opened up their tournament in convincing fashion, showing no mercy against an inexperienced Nauru team with a convincing 91point win. Guam have come into this tournament with a point to prove after a disappointing result two years ago in Porirua, and having claimed the Gold Medal in dominant fashion last year at the Micronesian Games. They will be out to prove they are one of the top teams in the region. In what was a relatively even performance (Coach Pelkey was able to give even minutes to his bench); 2014 U19 All Star 5 member Destiny Castro had an impressive game with 19 points and 4 rebounds in 17 minutes of play. Top scorer for Guam was Kathryn Castro with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Unfortunately it looks like it may be a long tournament for Nauru, however exposure to the international game will no doubt do wonders for the athletes and the federation at large. Top scorer for Nauru was #13 Michaela Detenamo with 15 points and 11 rebounds giving her a double double for the game. It's not going to be easy tomorrow for Nauru who take on Tahiti, with Tahiti coming off a convincing win against host country PNG. Guam will be up against PNG which should be a more competitive game for the ladies.
Fiji defeated New Caledonia 85-40
Fiji took control of the game from the first whistle and never looked back. Each quarter they increased their lead. Lead by Valeria Nainima, the intensity of Fiji's defence was too much for New Caledonia causing 35 turnovers and scoring on 30 of them. Top scorer for Fiji was Letava Whippy (175-G-91) with 19 points and 8 rebounds giving her almost a double double. Coach Puamau was able to play his bench giving the ladies the opportunity of playing their first game of the tournament. Led by Roselyne Forest with 8 points New Caledonia will need to regroup taking on American Samoa in tomorrow's game.
PNG def by Tahiti 57-90
In a tough first game of the tournament for the home team, PNG has been defeated by a well drilled Tahiti team by 33 points. In front of a boisterous home crowd, the PNG women started the game well, however a 10 point to 24 point 2nd quarter saw the Tahitians build a comfortable lead and the PNG girls could not find a way back into the game. For Tahiti, the Lefranc sisters were on fire scoring 20 (Oceane) and 28 (Alizee) points . PNG will be hoping to bounce back in front of what is sure to be a big home crowd for the 7pm match on day 4 against Guam, whilst Tahiti will take on the struggling Nauru team.
Courtesy of: Pacific Games
