Tall Ferns in must-win shot at Paris
The Tall Ferns take on Puerto Rico tonight with a place at the Paris Olympics at stake.
New Zealand are part of a four-team Olympic qualifying tournament also featuring China and France in the Chinese city of Xi’an.
France are already confirmed for the Games as hosts. The two best teams other than France will earn Olympic qualification, while the third will miss out.
The Tall Ferns started the tournament with a 94-47 defeat to world No 2 China, while Puerto Rico lost 88-40 to world No 7 France.
Puerto Rico are ranked 12th in the world, while New Zealand are 23rd. If two teams finish level on wins, the head-to-head result determines who finishes higher, so victory in tonight’s match at midnight will likely be enough to clinch qualification for Paris.
Puerto Rico played at the most recent Tokyo Olympics, losing all three games and ranking last of the 12 teams. The Tall Ferns have not featured at the Olympics since 2008.
The Tall Ferns were expected to struggle against China, the 2022 Women’s World Cup runners-up led by Fiba Asia Cup MVP Xu Han in front of a raucous home crowd.
New Zealand were held to just 30.5 per cent shooting from the field, including two from 21 downtown, and gave up 17 offensive rebounds and 20 turnovers. Esra McGoldrick top-scored with 11 points, while Tera Reed added 10 and guards Tayla Dalton and Lauryn Hippolite chipped in with seven each.
The game also marked a trio of Tall Fern debuts, with Lauren Whittaker (four points, six rebounds and five assists) leading the team in rebounds and assists in a starting role, while Sharne Robati and Pahlyss Hokianga earned valuable minutes.
Sixteen-year-old Hokianga became the youngest Tall Fern when she checked into the game in the first quarter.