NZ U17 women's teams demolishes Mali; Round of 16 next

New Zealand finished group stage play at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup in Mexico with a 2-1 record, following a commanding 84-47 victory against Mali. The win sees the Kiwis likely claiming second place on the Group B standings behind Italy meaning they will meet Finland – as the third-placed team in Group A – in the Round of 16. Mali, the 2023 African U16 champions held an early 4-2 lead but following a tight first quarter – which New Zealand edged 13-9 – the Ferns were a able to assert their dominance and build their lead throughout the remainder of the contest. Bailey Flavell (177-G-2007) again led the New Zealand scoring with 19 points while the increasingly influential Keriana-Marie Hippolite (168-G-2007) put together an impressive stat-line of 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Other contributors included Chanel Enriquez-Paea who finished with 12 points, a late cameo from Gia Vukona (183-F-2008) (9 points) and Hawkes Bay’s Graecyn Parahi (178-F-2007) scoring 8. New Zealand shot 44% (31/70) from the field and 10 from 24 at a highly commendable 42% from beyond the arc. The Kiwis did a good job defensively restricting Mali to a mere 23% (19/83) from the field. The African’s poor shooting was a major factor in New Zealand corralling 50 defensive rebounds in winning the battle on the boards 69-45. New Zealand attacked the basket relentlessly in the early stages, with Hippolite and Flavell rewarded with multiple trips to the foul line. Successful drives from Hokianga and Hippolite extended the Kiwis lead to 11-4, although the scoring dried up in the later stages of the period as the active Mali defence thwarted a number of offensive sets. Ahead 13-9 at quarter time, New Zealand enjoyed a free scoring start to the second spell as Waikimihia Douglas-Karauna (173-F-2007) hit from inside, Hippolite with an elbow jumper and Flavell and Enriquez-Paea each scored on drives to extend the lead to 24-13. Hippolite and Graecyn Parahi then made consecutive threes, with Vukona adding to the score as the Kiwis extended the lead to 36-19. A strong first half display was only marred by outstanding forward Olivia Hastings incurring an ankle injury, which kept her sidelined for the remainder of the game. New Zealand made the ideal start to the second half, with Hokianga and Flavell combining for the first 10 points of the period. Mali made an 8-0 run in the middle of the second before New Zealand closed the stanza with a trio of threes from Hippolite, Parahi and Enriquez-Paea. With the lead over 30 points, Coach Mel Bennett was able to rest her starters through the closing stages – Vukona taking full advantage of her extended minutes with 7 points in the period, while Enriquez-Paea drained her second triple of the game; putting an exclamation mark on an authoritative New Zealand display.
Courtesy of: nz.basketball