KEY POINTS:
Stung by their heavy loss to the host team two days ago, New Zealand regrouped with a fighting 60-78 loss to the United States at the Good Luck Beijing women's basketball tournament in China this morning (NZ time).
Down by 26 points against the world's top-ranked team at
halftime, the Tall Ferns outscored their much bigger and more athletic rivals in the second half, holding them to just eight points over the final quarter.
"I was delighted with our peformance, to tell the truth," coach Mike McHugh said.
"To get within 20 against the Olympic champions with a team of this level of experience was a very, very satisfying performance.
"To keep them to eight in the fourth quarter was phenomenal."
New Zealand suffered a 52-point pounding the last time the teams met, in their opening game at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The Americans went on to take the gold medals.
This time New Zealand started strongly to trail by just six after the opening period but fell away alarmingly as the US piled on 11 unanswered points before halftime.
"They just monstered us in the second quarter and we never got a call from the refs," McHugh said.
"But we chipped away in the third and certainly played well in the last quarter.
"Full credit the players and their attitude. Kiwis are not intimidated by anyone and that's what you have to have at this level."
The Americans were too strong around the hoop, outscoring their smaller rivals 38-12 in the paint.
New Zealand managed just 26 per cent shooting and had eight shots rejected.
But they committed only 10 turnovers, a great result against such highly ranked opponents, and actually forced the Americans into more errors.
Captain Aneka Kerr and point guard Angela Marino - the only two Tall Fern survivors from the Athens encounter - led their team in scoring.
Kerr had 17 points and seven rebounds, while Marino accumulated 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
After their 73-99 loss to China, the Kiwi women had planned to sample Beijing's shopping opportunities on their rest day, but were held back for a three-hour video session first as McHugh sought to stamp out any deterioration in the play.
"They mightn't have been too happy with me at the time, but when you get a performance like tonight, it's testiment we did the right thing."
New Zealand were to face world champions Australia in their final round robin game.
United States 78 (Sylvia Fowles 14, Katie Smith 10) New Zealand 60 (Aneka Kerr 17, Angela Marino 14). Halftime: 48-22.
- NZPA
