Girls stumble on court against Kiwis

Girls stumble on court against Kiwis

THE Fiji women's under-19 basketball team was humbled by New Zealand 30-57 in their second match of the FIBA Oceania Youth Basketball Championship in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday night.

The Grace Taito-captained side started the competition on a high note with a convincing 64-31 win over Guam last Sunday.

However, while facing their toughest opponent in Pool Two, Fiji physically matched the New Zealanders but were edged in skills and positional play.

Fiji rivaled New Zealand in the statistics of rebounds led by baby of the team Tiyana Kainamoli who had 11.

New Zealand, which finished as runners up in the previous Oceania Youth Championship, proved to be tough contenders scoring over 20 goals in the first half.

In a standout performance, Hanna Tusa helped her team take an early lead by scoring 15 rebounds and 12 points.

The team played Papua New Guinea last night. The Laisiasa Puamau-coached side is hoping to bounce back against PNG to cement its spot in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, the men's U19 team recorded impressive wins over New Caledonia 81-76 and Papua New Guinea 97-56 in their opening two matches.

Fiji faced a tough test against New Zealand last night.




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