The Tall Ferns have bounced back from last night’s loss, by beating Republic of China White 68-65 to move to 3-1 at the William Jones Cup.
After falling 79-60 to Republic of China Blue yesterday, the Tall Ferns made sure they responded with a strong performance today.
“It was a very good game, we tried a number of different combinations on the court today, and I think the Republic of China White team is a very good team,” head coach Kennedy Kereama said.
The Ferns were led by a second straight double-double for Kalani Purcell, who combined 11 rebounds and 12 points, and Josephine Stockill, who picked up 22 points and five rebounds.
The Kiwis made a quick start to their fourth match of the tournament, racing out to a 23-10 first quarter lead.
They were pulled back by their opposition though, as a low second quarter shooting percentage hurt the Ferns, who went into the break down 31-30.
“They started how we thought they were going to start, we both just went after it from the beginning,” Purcell said.
There was little to separate the two sides after the break, but Jillian Harmon’s second half haul of 9 points and four rebounds off the bench helped the Ferns do enough to pick up a three point victory.
“Playing a team like this, you can’t afford to slack off,” Purcell added.
“Being able to go neck and neck with this team and for us to pull off the win, it really says something for us.”
The 68-65 victory leaves the Tall Ferns second on the tournament ladder, and they’ll face their toughest test yet tomorrow, when they meet the unbeaten Japan at 6pm NZT.
