CANBERRA (Australia) - Tonga complete their magical run to finish third-place in the FIBA U15 Women's Oceania Cup 2024 in debut.
The third-place game itself was a dramatic affair as Tonga completed a comeback from down behind 19 points to win, 75-68, over Samoa.
Jalyn Newton-Taito started the game on fire, scoring 8 points during Samoa's 12-0 run that spanned from the end of the first quarter to early in the second quarter. The lead ballooned to 19 points not long after and it seemed as if Samoa would come away with a win to close out the campaign.
However, Tonga did not make it to the Third-Place game for nothing. It's been a magical run for the debutants carried by the strong play of point guard Huni Folau - but in this game an unsung hero would rise to the occasion.
Ruby Cutbush's most points in a game prior was 8 points in the Quarter-Finals against Guam, which is why Samoa did not know how to respond to her scoring outburst from the second quarter onwards. In the last two minutes of the half alone, Cutbush scored 10 points (two three-pointers). She finished with 14 points in the quarter and 16 points through the entire game. This sparked a 10-0 run by Tonga, leading them to accelerate and get back in the lead even before the start of the fourth quarter.
With the momentum completely in their favor, Tonga ran away with the lead in the fourth quarter to cap off a memorable run with a place on the podium.
Aside from scoring a team-high 16 points, Cutbush also had 5 rebounds. Down in the paint, it was Kakala Ofanoa (6 points, 13 rebounds) and Vahanoa he Ofa Wolfgramm (9 points, 18 rebounds). Team star Huni Folau was limited to 11 points, but made up for it with 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals.
Samoa's Zodia Rose Folau had 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals.
Final Standings:
1 Australia or New Zealand 2 Australia or New Zealand 3 Tonga 4 Samoa 5 Guam 6 New Caledonia 7 Fiji 8 Cook Islands
FIBA