The 2degrees Tall Ferns have gone down to Senegal, 45-61, in their third game of the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan.
It was a huge game for both teams, with both teams searching for their first win of the tournament in this one.
Rebecca Pizzey opened the scoring for New Zealand with the first points of the contest, but both teams struggled to find early rhythm in a slow start offensively.
Senegal began asserting themselves on the glass, creating second-chance opportunities that helped them nudge ahead.
When Senegal pushed out to a 10–5 lead, Tall Ferns head coach Nat Hurst turned to her bench with an early timeout. Emme Shearer responded with a timely three-pointer to spark the Tall Ferns, before Ella Tofaeono finished a fast-break layup late in the period to close the gap, Senegal still with a narrow 14–10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw Senegal’s length become a factor, with their defenders disrupting passing lanes and forcing difficult possessions for New Zealand.
Tegan Graham knocked down a triple to bring the Tall Ferns within one point as the pace of the game began to lift from both sides.
Pizzey then connected from deep to give New Zealand their first lead since the opening basket of the game.
Senegal responded through Ndiaye, who restored a three-point advantage, before Diop drilled a three-pointer to extend the margin, and push the lead out to 29–24 heading into halftime.
Graham wasted no time in the third quarter, opening the half with another three-pointer as the Tall Ferns looked to regain control.
However, the physicality of the contest intensified and Senegal seized the moment.
Diop struck again from beyond the arc before a Senegalese fast-break finish capped a dominant run that stretched their lead to 22 points, part of a decisive 17–1 surge.
Tayla Dalton eventually broke the scoring drought for New Zealand, and the Tall Ferns tightened up defensively late in the period, but Senegal firmly controlled the quarter 23–9 to take a commanding advantage into the final frame.
The Tall Ferns attempted to ignite a comeback in the fourth quarter when Charlotte Whittaker drained a three-pointer.
New Zealand showed resilience, outscoring Senegal 13–4 during a stretch that briefly reignited hopes of a late rally. However, Senegal’s captain, Yacine Diop knocking down a triple to put the result to bed, Senegal running away winners 61-45 in San Juan.
Coach Hurst again proud of the way the team fought to the very end.
“Our girls will always fight to the end. They’ve got big heart and they stick together, but it just wasn’t good enough today.”
“We’re obviously disappointed. Some of our rules we didn’t stick to and I think it hurt us. They smacked us on the boards in the first half and we just never really got ourselves into the game.”
The Senegalese length on the offensive boards (17) and again points off turnovers (18) both key factors in today’s game.
“Once Senegal got momentum it was tough for us to get it back. They stuck to their game plan and shot the ball a lot better than they had been, but we didn’t stick with the rules we were supposed to.””
Captain Tayla Dalton both sharing the same sentiment in the post-game press conference.
“We did so much preparation and knew what we had to do, but when we got out there we went away from it. Credit to Senegal — they fought really hard and we left it too late to get back to what we do.”
Dalton’s team doing a fantastic job on the defensive end, restricting Senegal to 61 points.
“Defensively holding a team to around 60 points is usually good enough to win, but it doesn’t help if we can only put 45 on the board. We got some great looks, we just have to execute and be more aggressive.”
New Zealand will next face the USA, who remain undefeated in the tournament so far.
“Off the court, it’s pretty cool to see what the players and Team USA are doing for women’s basketball in general.”
Dalton adamant though when the ball is thrown in the air tomorrow, it’s all on.
“You can admire and fangirl from afar but as soon as we get between those white lines, it’s like, “Nah, Caitlin, you’re not shooting a deep three in our face.”
“New Zealand, we’re known for our physicality, so it’s time to show them tomorrow that we’re physical.”
That game tipping off at 7am (NZT) tomorrow morning on ESPN.
2degrees Tall Ferns 45 (Tofaeono 10p, Graham 9p, Pizzey 9p) defeated by Senegal 61 (Diop 13p, Ndiaye 10p, 10r)
Q1: NZL 10 – 14 SEN
HT: NZL 24 – 29 SEN
Q3: NZL 33 – 52 SEN
FT: NZL 45 – 61 SEN
