Tonga Win First Match in Pacific Games Debut

HONIARA (Solomon Islands) - With just six players, the women from Tonga have created history, winning their first ever Pacific Games match.

15-year-old, Fa’anaetaua Puloka shot the house down with 23 points in a powerful display for Tonga, while Lesieli Manupule finished with a double-double, 21-12.

Fa’anaetaua Puloka finished with 23 points.

“It was so awesome being able to play on this court, and the chemistry that we have built as a team off court, showed on court today,” Manupule said.  “We are just proud to call it a win.”

“Fighting through the tiredness, the pain, the heat, the fatigue, and everything, we do it all for the love of Tonga.”

In the final game of the group phase, Cook Islands were too strong for Tahiti.  It was a fast paced, physical game with Keziah Lewis, Te Araroa Sopoaga, and Dalen Pilitati guiding their team to victory, 55-54.

Heading into the final quarter Cook Islands held a one-point lead which they managed to maintain.

“It was an intense match, big ups to Tahiti for bringing the pressure, we definitely felt it throughout the game, but I’m just so proud of the girls for finishing it off,” Pilitati said.

“It’s a lot of sisterhood at the Cookies, we are all coming together before the game, after the game, staying connected and that’s very important to us.”

Following the group phase, Samoa and Cook Islands have advanced to semi-finals on Friday with Fiji and Tonga to play in the first quarterfinal tomorrow.  Guam will come up against Tahiti in the second quarterfinal.

The Pacific Games will be hosted by Solomon Islands from November 19 – December 2, 2023.  The Pacific Games Women’s Basketball Tournament is the official qualifiers of the Oceania region to the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup Division B.