New Zealand have stunned African champions Mali with a 61-58 victory in their third and final Group D game at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup in Hungary on Tuesday night.
New Zealand, coming from 46-41 down at three-quarter time, held Mali to just 9 points for 9:55 of the final quarter. The Africans made a deep three with 5 seconds to play but the Kiwis had earned the win by outscoring their opponents 20-12 in the final period.
Layla Cameron was the Kiwi star in the final ten minutes, scoring half of her teams points in that spell. Maia Jones sank a couple of crucial threes in the final stanza on a night when all five starters produced outstanding performances.
The Kiwis began the quarter with a 10-2 run, Cameron’s second three of the game giving New Zealand a 51-48 lead with under 6 minutes to play. A Jones triple increased the margin further although Mali would close to within one (55-54) with 1:45 to play.
Cameron then made an athletic drive to convert an And-1 play and with Ivy Brown making a free-throw New Zealand had a 6-point lead, a big enough margin to see them through the frantic final few seconds.
Whilst Cameron led the scoring with 18 points Jones was not far behind – her 16 points included 5 from 13 threes. Cantabrian Brown had arguably her best game in a black singlet, adding 6 assists to a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Forwards Ritorya Tamilo and Lily Taulelei coped admirably with Mali’s tall timber. Tamilo finished with 6 points and a game high 15 rebounds – 6 of those at the offensive end – while Taulelei tallied 5 points and 9 rebounds – the pair helping New Zealand win the rebounding count 58-44.
Despite Cameron scoring on the first possession of the contest, New Zealand were 18-10 down at quarter time.
Brown’s seven second quarter points served the Ferns well – they headed to the locker room at half-time with just a single point deficit (24-23).
Jones, Brown and Karereatua Williams each made threes in the third quarter as the two teams jostled for control before Mali scored the last seven points of the spell to lead 46-41 with ten minutes to play.
The final quarter, built on solid defence, was one the Kiwis will reflect on with pride.
After finishing third in Group D New Zealand will now face Canada, the second placed team in Group C, in the Round of 16 on Wednesday.
New Zealand 61 – Cameron 18 PTS | Jones 16 PTS | Brown 11 PTS, 12 REBS & 6 ASS | Tamilo 6 PTS & 15 REBS | Taulelei 5 PTS & 9 REBS | Williams 5 PTS
Mali 58 – R Berthe 16 PTS
New Zealand were drawn in Group D alongside World number one ranked USA, Germany (#11) and Mali (#15). New Zealand have a world ranking of 21.
Full fixtures and statistics can be found at: www.fiba.basketball/world/u17women/2022
New Zealand Schedule: (times given are local in New Zealand)
- Sat 9 July vs Germany –– (L 68-35)
- Sun 10 July vs USA – (L 102-34)
- Tues 12 July vs Mali – (W 61-58) – Re–watch at nz.basketball/tv
- Weds 13 July vs Canada – (1.00am Thursday) – watch at nz.basketball/tv
U17 Women’s National Team Roster
Ivy Brown – North Canterbury
Layla J Cameron – New Zealand
Waimanu Clarken – Basketball Auckland
Maia Jones – Nelson Basketball
Cassidy Lacey-Rameka – Rotorua Basketball Association
Tannika Leger-Walker – Waikato Basketball
Carly Ohia – Rotorua Basketball Association
Amy-Lee Pateman – Harbour Basketball
Ashlyn Rean – North Canterbury
Ritorya Tamilo – Basketball Auckland
Lily Taulelei – Wellington Basketball Association
Karereatua Williams – Canterbury
Head Coach – Lori McDaniel
Assistant Coach – Pina Lissaman
Assistant Coach – Ryan Dubbledam
Team Manager – Jemma Lawton
Physio – Kylie Cox
Team Doctor – Dr Kaylie Baker
About The FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022
The FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 features the world’s top 16 women’s U17 national team with 56 games played across 9 days from July 9-17 in Debrecen, Hungary.
As event hosts, Hungary gained automatic entry. The remaining 15 teams qualified through regional U16 championships with 2 from Africa, 5 from Europe, 4 from the Americas, and 4 from Asia – with New Zealand earning their place after securing a spot in the recent FIBA U16 Asian Championship.
