CUB/NZL – Cuba claim narrow win over Tall Ferns in Beijing opener
BEIJING (Olympic Test Event) - Cuba edged New Zealand 75-71 in the opening game of the 2008 Beijing Basketball Test Event. Yayma Boulet Peillon, the captain of the Cubans, had 20 points – 10 in each half – to lead the team from the FIBA Americas to victory. The Tall Ferns have already qualified for the Beijing Games while Cuba will play ...
BEIJING (Olympic Test Event) - Cuba edged New Zealand 75-71 in the opening game of the 2008 Beijing Basketball Test Event.
Yayma Boulet Peillon, the captain of the Cubans, had 20 points – 10 in each half – to lead the team from the FIBA Americas to victory.
The Tall Ferns have already qualified for the Beijing Games while Cuba will play at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Madrid in June, hoping to claim one of five places that are still available.
Alberto Zabala’s side led by as many as nine points in the first half but the Kiwis, who look a much improved side from the one that made a surprising run to the quarter-finals four years ago in Athens, battled back and the game went to half-time knotted at 38-38.
Peillon and Suchitel Avila Cazanas came to life after the interval with the latter scoring 15 of her 19 points and the Cubans scraped a very narrow win.
New Zealand got 20 points from point guard Angela Marino, one of the two players still left from the team that played in Greece in 2004.
She had 17 of those in the first half.
Lisa Wallbutton was the Kiwi’s star performer over the final 20 minutes when she poured in 13 of her 19 points.
Captain Aneka Kerr struggled offensively and failed to score in 20 minutes, missing all four of her shots from the floor.
New Zealand were in the ascendancy in the third quarter and opened up a 56-51 lead with just 10 minutes remaining, but Mike McHugh’s team wasn’t able to press home the advantage.
Just two of seven from long range in the first half, Cuba finished six of 13 for a very impressive 46%.
Avila Cazanas was zero for three from behind the arc in the opening two quarters but made all three of her attempts in the second half.
Cuba won the rebounding battle 36-34. The Cubans did not shoot well at the line, making just 13 of 21 (62%) compared to New Zealand’s six of eight (75%). Each team turned the ball over 18 times.
FIBA