The Aon Junior Tall Ferns have grabbed their first win in India, defeating Malaysia 99-32 to stay alive in the Under 18 Asian Championship.
Charlotte Whittaker continued her strong play, posting 18 points and seven rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. Tayla Dalton contributed 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting,while Rochelle Fourie added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
It was a strong all-around performance by New Zealand, who dominated the game in every area to comfortably dispatch Malaysia. They shot 52 percent from the field as a team and out-rebounded Malaysia 66-22. New Zealand took care of the ball and dished out 32 assists, their highest mark of the tournament.
Head coach Jody Cameron was thrilled with the win and is looking forward to the teams next matchup against Australia.
"I think the team performed really well tonight. We got some good minutes right across our team, and our bench was solid.
"Going into the game against Australia, well need to solidify our offence like we did tonight. We feel good with where were at. Were very excited and looking forward to the challenge."
The winner of Thursdays game against Australia advances to the semi-finals and will also secure a spot in the FIBA Under 19 World Cup next year. Australia comes into the game with a 2-1 record, following a narrow 63-62 loss to Korea. They entered the Asian Championship as one of the favorites to win, so itll be a tough test for a New Zealand team full of confidence after last nights victory.
The game will be live-streamed on the FIBA Youtube channel, and you can also watch LIVE on the Basketball New Zealand Facebook page.
The full box score from the game can be found HERE.
