The Tall Ferns played the final game of the fourth day at 37th William Jones Cup against Chinese Taipei. There was a lot to like about this display as the Tall Ferns kept the hosts in check for the bulk of the encounter but lost the final quarter 25-10 and with it the game 70-50.
Experienced guard Micaela Cocks was buoyed by parts of the performance the previous day against the highly regarded Korean’s
“The first quarter against Korea was the best basketball we have played on this tour”
Coach Kennedy Kereama echoed Cock’s sentiments.
“There were some good signs for us but we only played 15-17mins of good basketball. We can’t have quarters off if we want to beat Australia.”
Both would haven also enjoyed the first three stanzas of this game but ultimately the greater scoring power of the opposition overcame the dogged determination of the Kiwis.
After a strong performance the previous evening Kalani Pucell joined sister Natalie Taylor in the starting five alongside Davidson, Cocks and Wallbutton.
It was Taylor who got the scoreboard moving with the opening score and when Purcell scored from an offensive rebound the Tall Ferns led 8-5. Scoring then dried up save a couple of inside buckets from Megan Craig as Taipei led 18-14 at the end of the first quarter,
The Tall Ferns went scoreless for the first four minutes of the second period but their solid defence kept the hosts in check. Cocks then unleashed eight straight points including a pair of triples before Wallbutton tied the scores at 24 apiece.
The two teams traded fire in the closing stages of the half; a late Boagni basket sending the Kiwis to the main break in a positive frame of mind with the scores tied 30-30.
Both teams found baskets hard to come by in the third period but a Boagni triple on the three quarter time buzzer kept the Tall Ferns in the hunt trailing 45-40 with ten minutes to play.
Taylor converted an and1 play and when the tireless Cocks drove through traffic the Tall Ferns trailed by just 7 points (52-45) with 5:50 to play. However, one or two missed opportunities and back to back three’s by Huang and Chang killed off the notion of the Tall Ferns causing an upset.
The outstanding Cocks 15pts/5rebs/3assists clocked up 37 minutes court time Purcell (8pts) continued her good form and Wallbutton 6points/10rebounds was her normal consistent self. Encouragingly the 19-year-old duo of Boagni (5pts) and Davidson (4pts/5rebs) played with growing composure ahead of greater challenges.
The Tall Ferns play their fifth and final game of the tournament on Friday against an American Select team. The game tips-off at 7pm (NZT).
