Nghtmare 10 minutes hurts Ferns
A six-point second quarter has seen the Tall Ferns crash out of the Asia Cup at the quarterfinal stage.
The 64-49 loss to South Korea in Bengaluru, India, yesterday sees them miss out on a spot at next year’s World Cup. It came about through what was a horror second 10 minutes after what had been a bright start.
In fact, the Tall Ferns led 14-8 at the end of the first quarter on the back of some solid team play. No player had more than four points in the quarter, while they restricted Korea to 4-20 shooting.
Korea’s 1.95-metre, 18-year-old centre, Jisu Park, found herself in early foul trouble after picking up three personals in just one minute and 57 seconds on court in the quarter.
Things even started well in the second quarter as New Zealand went up 20-11 with 6.54 to go, but it all fell apart from there.
They missed their next 10 shotsin-a-row, gave up two turnovers and threw in a 24-second shot-clock violation for good measure.
By contrast, Korea could barely miss, shooting 12-19 in the quarter. They would go on a 23-0 run to lead by 14 at halftime, with Park returning to the court to score six of those, including a two-pointer three seconds before the end of the quarter.
The Tall Ferns would need a bright start in the second half to stand any chance, and they got one from Micaela Cocks.
She was kept scoreless in the first half, but scored the first eight points of the second to get her side back within six points of Korea.
Korea held a seven-point lead heading into the final quarter, but a three to Cocks and two-pointers to Harmon and Antonia Edmondson brought the deficit back to two with 6:44 to play.
However, Korea surged again and put the game to bed with a 14-2 run in the last five minutes of the game.
Harmon finished with a doubledouble of 13 points (5-17 shooting) and 10 rebounds, while Cocks had 11 (4-15 shooting) and six, and Edmondson 11 (4-13) and nine.
New Zealand needed a top-four finish to make the World Cup. They now enter the fifth to eighth classification round.