CANBERRA (Australia) - The last day of the Group Phase in the FIBA U15 Women's Oceania Cup 2024 still had some suspense in store with an overtime clash filled with twists and turns as well as teams celebrating a sweep and their first win.
Tonga completed a sweep of Group B, getting the win over Cook Islands 133-52. They left no room for doubt after making their first field goal in a minute and pushing through all the way to the buzzer.
Point guard Hunivaololo Folau continues to impress, putting up her biggest scoring game yet with 30 points while also recording her first double-double with a tournament-high 13 assists.
"It was crazy, we started off slow but when we came back into the game we did well and just kept our composure," she said of the game "As you can tell by the score, we finished with the win."
Kyra Tuihalangingie-Midson (10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 9 steals) and Kakala Ofanoa (12 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 blocks) also put up impressive numbers in the big win for Tonga. Meanwhile, Hayven Selby led Cook Islands in scoring with 15 points.
Samoa claimed their first win of the competition after defeating Guam 93-53. The lead changed hands back and forth in the opening quarter, but it didn't take long for Samoa to claim control of the game towards getting the victory.
All players scored for Samoa and four players reached double-digits in points with Kitara-Jay Rosalia Fatuleai (16 points) and Zodia Rose Folau (15 points) leading the way. Kalena Hogben was also able to record a double-double with her 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Guam's top scorers were Camille Batac and Lana Caparaso Quinata, who both scored 15 points.
It was a good refresh for the girls, we had two tough games against two of the best nations in the tournament so it was a really good opportunity to go out and experience what it's like to get a win," said Samoa's Folau.
"Hard work really plays off, I've been blessed with all of this support and that has really shown through and just created energy towards all the girls as well."
"I think the ball movement was really good and our team energy was really high," she concluded.
The suspense was a bit higher as New Caledonia defeated Fiji 75-74 in an overtime game filled with twists and turns.
Fiji went off to a fast start with a 7-point lead in the first quarter, but New Caledonia quickly pulled back to make it a one-point game at the end of the first 10 minutes. New Caledonia briefly took the lead in the second quarter, but Fiji came roaring back once again and built their cushion back up to 7 points midway through the third quarter.
From there, it was chaos. New Caledonia closed the last six minutes of the third quarter with a 20-6 run capped by a flurry of four three-pointers including 8 points by Angelique Ha Ho (who scored a total of 9 points with 12 rebounds). They'd build their lead up to 11 points with 8 minutes left in the game and it looked as if they were in position to run away. Fiji weren't ready to let that happen.
Ana Maiwiriri (13 points, 12 rebounds) scored seven straight points to gain momentum for Fiji and Rusila Komainaiqoro (13 points, 7 rebounds) added another burst of 8 points in under 2 minutes to reclaim the lead for Fiji.
Just as it felt as if New Caledonia had lost control, Leisiale Subiranas (20 points, 8 rebounds) made wide open midrange jumper to punish the defense and get back up ahead, 62-61.
Fiji still found themselves and opportunity to win the game, as Komainaigoro got fouled with 5 seconds left in the game. She'd split the attempts at the charity stripe, forcing the game into overtime. Fiji carried the momentum into the extra session, going up ahead by 5 points within 45 seconds and still maintained that lead heading into the last two minutes.
But New Caledonia had one last wind left in them, coming in the form of a three-pointer by unsung hero Seiya Drayton (8 points) to tie the game up, setting the stage for Subiranas to get the chance to win the game on free throws after a loose ball foul.
Subiranas (6-8 from the free-throw line) provided a bit of a scare as she had a rare miss from the charity stripe, but in the end made the one that counted the most to complete a 6-0 run to close out the game and complete the comeback bid.
The win edged New Caledonia into second place in Group B with a 2-1 record while Fiji is in third place with 1-2.
Upcoming Games - November 14
Quarter-Finals 1 : Samoa v New Caledonia - 12:30 PM (GMT +11) Quarter-Finals 2 : Guam v Tonga - 2:30 PM (GMT +11)
FIBA