A young and inexperienced New Zealand side fought gamely but were overwhelmed 98-48 by Australia in game one of the Oceania women's basketball championship in Porirua last night.
New Zealand, containing seven budding internationals, faced an Australian side that towered over them.
With players such as Elizabeth Camage at 2.03m,Mariana Tolo 1.96m, Elyse Penaluna 1.96m and Hollie Grima 1.90m, Australia had the luxury of dominating the rebounds offensively and defensively, 50-26.
New Zealand, ably led by skipper Kate McMeekan-Ruscoe, did not, however, give the ball up easily, conceding just 19 turnovers to the Australians' 15.
Australia, held to just one point after 3-1/2 minutes, did not totally dominate a low-scoring first quarter as a fresh New Zealand side made them work for their points.
But at the other end, their defensive pressure and height in the middle forced New Zealand into hurried shots from a distance and most did not find the basket.
Australian coach Carrie Graf put her tall timber out in the second quarter with Grimma joining Tolo and Camage to form a powerful physical presence to which New Zealand had no answers.
Australia led 45-25 at halftime and pulled steadily into the distance by the end of the match.
Camage, 18, had a game-high 22 points while teammates Jessica Bibby and Tolo chimed in with 14 apiece.
For New Zealand, Toni Edmondsen was outstanding, scoring 19 points and making four defensive blocks.
Australian skipper Alicia Poto said her side had executed well in the second half after getting off to a slow start.
"We came out in the second half and really executed. We are pretty happy with the win and are looking forward to finishing it off in Canberra."
McMeekan-Ruscoe said the scoreline was disappointing but the team had managed to get through a few things they had wanted to accomplish while gaining experience.
" It was a tough battle and really good for the girls to go up against that.
"They bumped us around a bit and the girls didn't know how to get back... so it's all a learning curve."
The second game and final game will be played in Canberra on Wednesday and the winners of the series qualify for the world championships.
