The 2degrees Tall Ferns’ campaign at the FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Guadalajara has come to an end, falling 86-71 to Canada in the semi-finals.
New Zealand went toe-to-toe with Canada in an evenly matched opening quarter. Lauren Whittaker got the 2degrees Tall Ferns off to a strong start, while Charlotte Whittaker connected from beyond the arc and Ella Tofaeono provided an inside presence as the lead changed hands several times. The 2degrees Tall Ferns remained within striking distance, trailing just 21-18 at the first break.
After a competitive start to the second quarter, Canada found another gear offensively. Delaney Gibb, Syla Swords and Jasmine Bascoe helped fuel a scoring burst, with the North Americans connecting from long range and capitalising on transition opportunities. Despite efforts from Emme Shearer, Lauren Whittaker and Ella Tofaeono, Canada opened up a 57-31 halftime advantage.
The 2degrees Tall Ferns showed plenty of fight after the main break, with Shearer, Ella Brow and the Whittaker sisters helping steady the offence. Charlotte Whittaker converted at the foul line, Brow connected from deep, and the Tall Ferns reduced the deficit with an improved third-quarter performance.
Trailing 67-48 heading into the final period, New Zealand continued to push. Charlotte Whittaker and Lauren Whittaker both hit from long range, with Tofaeono and Shearer repeatedly getting to the basket as the Tall Ferns chipped away at the deficit. A late surge saw New Zealand score 23 points in the final quarter and cut the margin to 15 by the final buzzer, but Canada’s second-quarter offensive explosion ultimately proved too much to overcome.
Despite the result, 2degrees Tall Ferns Head Coach Nat Hurst was encouraged by the progress shown by the group throughout the tournament.
“We’re really pleased with the new squad. We came here, we had four days to prep and we built every day. We’ve just got to keep building our squad and getting time together.”
Captain Tayla Dalton said the tournament reinforced the belief that New Zealand can compete at this level.
“We’re going to win games, we’re going to be really tough competitors, and I think this group of ten, and our coaching staff are hungry for it.”
Dalton said the squad would use the experience as motivation heading into the next international window.
“We’re going to go away and work our individual game, our team game, so that when the next tournament comes, we’re aiming for the final.”
Canada 86 (Gibb 17p, Swords 17p, Bascoe 15p) defeat 2degrees Tall Ferns 71 (L. Whittaker 21p, Tofaeono 18p, Shearer 12p)
Q1: NZL 18-21 CAN
HT: NZL 31-57 CAN
Q3: NZL 48-67 CAN
FT: NZL 71-86 CAN
