Basketball: Tall Ferns taste success at last

12.40pm

The New Zealand women's basketball team reversed a 20-point loss to Germany to record the first win of their pre-Olympic tour in Ankara, Turkey.

New Zealand commanded the entire match winning 89-60, a 49-point turnaround at the Six-Nation tournament.

Coach Tom Maher said the Tall Ferns' 68-87 loss to Nigeria yesterday sparked a turning of the tide, which had previously seen New Zealand lose six matches on trot in Europe.

"Last night was a big sea change," he said.

"We finally played the style we wanted. We missed a lot from the foul line against Nigeria, but we carried on from there and have started to resemble what we should look like.

"We lost to Germany in Poland by a considerable margin so this win is testament to how far we've come."

Maher praised 18-year-old point guard Angela Marino, describing her performance as "phenomenal".

"She probably has 10 passes that led to baskets," he said.

"Donna Loffhagen was another stand-out. She had a game-high 20 points and drew eight fouls."

Marino had 18 points while forward Aneka Kerr shot 15. For Germany, Linda Frohlich was the only member of the side to hit double figures with 12 points.

New Zealand have refused to drop their heads after struggling at a tournament in Krosno, Poland and then finding the going tough in in Turkey.

They led 22-13 after the first quarter and had a 21-point buffer by halftime, with a 46-25 advantage. Germany managed to tie the third quarter 18-18 but couldn't overhaul the Tall Ferns, who finished strongly in the fourth period, 25-17.

The New Zealanders will look to build on today's victory in their final game in Ankara against Romania, before moving to Sofia in Bulgaria for five days of training prior to the Olympic Games.

New Zealand 89 (D Loffhagen 20, A Marino 18, A Kerr 15) Germany 60 (L Frohlich 12). Halftime: New Zealand 46-25.

- NZPA