CANBERRA (Australia) - Australia and New Zealand set course for a Final rematch at the FIBA U16 Women's Oceania Cup 2024 following their Semi-Finals wins.
The first game of the day was the Classification 5-6 game where Guam defeated New Caledonia 77-57.
Guam finally rebounded from a frustrating first four days of the competition, taking out their frustration on New Caledonia and led from start to finish.
"Very challenging," said Lana Quinata, Guam's leading scorer in the victory, of the games earlier in the competition. "It's nothing like what we have in Guam. They're huge. It's a big deal for us and I think it has been a huge opportunity for us."
Guam started the game with a 22-11 first quarter and built up a lead of as large as 29 points. They found their stroke from beyond the arc, knocking down 14 three-pointers in total.
Three players scored in double-digits for Guam with Lana Quinata's 16 points leading the team off of four three-pointers. Ave Santos (14 points) and Suri Sanchez (13 points) also added three three-pointers each.
"It feels good," added Quinata on her feelings of getting this first win.
Jeanne Lorrillere had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds for New Caledonia.
New Zealand were first to advance to the Semi-Finals following a convincing 88-40 win over Samoa. The young Tall Ferns held their opponents to only 7 points in the first quarter and against locked down on defense in the third quarter, allowing only seven points.
Imani Rasmussen lead New Zealand in scoring with 13 points, though the other double-digit scorers Shamar Broughton, Ava Jones, and Emilia Ainley weren't too far behind with 12 points each.
Defending champions Australia stayed undefeated and inch a step closer to defending their throne, putting a halt to Tonga's inspiring run with a 119-20 win.
The Sapphires left no room for doubt, especially in the second quarter where they did not concede a field goal and allowed only one point while scoring 29 points on their end.
Six players scored in double-digits for Australia with Olivia Olechnowicz scoring 17 points to lead the team. Interestingly, not all players scored a field goal in this game for the Sapphires as Daisy Hocking scored all of her 8 points from the free-throw line.
It was a special game for Vanessa Tavete, who celebrated her 15th birthday by scoring 10 points to go with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
"It's such an honor just in general playing for Australia, something that words can't explain. Especially on my birthday? It's very special to do," she said.
"They played Happy Birthday on the speakers [before the game] so that got me a bit nervous.
Fiji closed out their U15 Women's Oceania Cup campaign with a 50-32 win over Cook Islands in the Classification 7-8 game.
Zara Suka had a monster double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds for Fiji while Cassidy Karika put in 19 points and 9 rebounds for Cook Islands.
Upcoming Games - November 16
Third-Place Game : Tonga v Samoa - 12:00 PM (GMT +11) Final : Australia v New Zealand - 7:30 PM (GMT +11)
FIBA