Tall Ferns outclass Poland for first tour win

Photo: Photosport

The Tall Ferns have notched the first win of their European basketball tour, beating Poland 73-62 in Istanbul.

Following three losses to world No.8 Serbia in Belgrade earlier this week, New Zealand outplayed the Poles, build on a dominant first quarter lead, which they won 17-9.

The lead stayed at eight points at halftime and and stretched out to as much as 15 points in the third quarter until Poland used a 7-0 run in the final period to keep the score respectable.

Tera Reed led all scorers with 24 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, with five of those boards on the offensive end.

Showcasing her inside/outside game, Reed hit three-from-five from outside the arc and converted 11 of 13 free throws.

Charlisse Leger-Walker added 22 points, Stella Beck tallied 7 points and 6 rebounds. Krystal Leger-Walker added 6 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in another all-around effort, with Kendell Heremaia (6) and Tayla Dalton (5) also contributing.

Jody Cameron – head coach for the tour due to Guy Molloy’s NBL commitments – says that the games against Serbia helped prepare the squad for facing Poland.

“There’s great benefits for us being here and playing against teams the calibre of Serbia and Poland; this is where we want to be all the time. The European style of play is somewhat new to us and it’s what we need to continue our success and development for when we compete on the world stage,” she said.

The Tall Ferns were to play their final tour game against Turkey in Istanbul on Sunday morning.

– RNZ