Silver Ferns subdue spirited Jamaica
August 11, 2015
The Silver Ferns showed their growing resilience with a hard-fought 55-48 win over Jamaica in the first of the qualification matches at Netball World Cup SYDNEY 2015 on Tuesday.
Trailing at half-time against the athletic, aerial and skilful Sunshine Girls, the Silver Ferns rose to the occasion with a big second half effort. Based on a gritty defensive showing where captain Casey Kopua continued to showcase her return to top form, in tandem with Leana de Bruin, and the inspiring efforts of midcourter Laura Langman, the Silver Ferns defused and ground down a dangerous Jamaica.
In a show of their building momentum, two days after overcoming defending champions Australia, the Silver Ferns took another big step when taming the talented fourth-ranked team in the world, in the first of the qualification rounds which will decide Saturday’s semi-finalists.
It wasn’t all plain sailing but the new-look New Zealand line-up showed plenty of character to absorb, fight back and repel.
As expected, the Silver Ferns started with the same seven who upstaged Australia on Sunday while spoilt for shooting choice, Jamaica started with the world-class Romelda Aiken under the hoop.
The Silver Ferns got away to a sizzling start, bursting out to a five-goal advantage on the back of a stifling full-court defence which slowed the Jamaican’s progress on attack.
Langman, Kayla Cullen, Katrina Grant and Maria Tutaia were prominent on defence while the Bailey Mes/Tutaia shooting combination continued to shine with its movement and accuracy under the hoop.
Jamaica fought back strongly to take some of the sting out of the Silver Ferns momentum with key playmaker Paula Thompson at centre pitching in with her pin-point feeding to Aiken.
The Silver Ferns replied strongly to hold a narrow 14-11 lead at the first break.
The Sunshine Girls turned up the heat on the resumption, slowly eating away at the deficit before making their move through the exploits of the athletic Thompson and her fellow attackers in getting more quality ball into Aiken’s reliable hands.
Tightening up their defence with Stacian Facey at goalkeeper having an imposing presence and finding more movement and flow through court, Jamaica produced a stunning second stanza.
Making the most of their turnover opportunities with an impressive conversion rate and the ability to retain possession, the Sunshine Girls put the acid on the Silver Ferns. Playing with confidence and vitality, Jamaica’s unrelenting pressure paid dividends when they headed to the main break with a 27-24 lead.
The Silver Ferns replied in similar fashion during a bruising and combative third stanza. With Jamaica initially doing a sterling job of holding their lead, the Silver Ferns sprung into action late in the piece.
With de Bruin replacing Grant, the Silver Ferns lifted their defensive efforts, Kopua instrumental in halting the flow to Aiken. With Kopua, Cullen and the ever-present Langman producing key turnovers, and Tutaia becoming a prominent figure on attack, a late rally helped the Silver Ferns repair the damage of the previous quarter when taking a 40-37 lead at the last break.
Jamaica proved they were far from done, challenging and testing the Silver Ferns in a dramatic run to the line when closing to within one. But the Sunshine Girls were unable to get the vital breakthrough under sustained pressure, the Silver Ferns showing their strength of character with a determinedly strong finish to remain unbeaten after four outings.
Quarter-by-Quarter Scores
SILVER FERNS│ Q1: 14 – Q2: 24 (10) – Q3: 40 (16) – Q4: 55 (15)
JAMAICA│ Q1: 11 – Q2: 27 (16) – Q3: 37 (10) – Q4: 48 (11)
Shooting Statistics
SILVER FERNS: 55/68 @ 81%
Mes: 19/25 @ 76%
Tutaia: 36/43 @ 84%
JAMAICA: 48/53 @ 91%
Aiken: 41/44 @ 93%
Beckford: 7/9 @ 78%
Starting Line-ups
SILVER FERNS│ GS Mes, GA Tutaia, WA Rasmussen, C Langman, WD Cullen, GD Grant, GK Kopua
JAMAICA│ GS Aiken, GA Beckford, WA Williams, C Thompson, WD Henry, GD Williams, GK Facey
Positional Changes
SILVER FERNS
Q3 – GD de Bruin
Trailing at half-time against the athletic, aerial and skilful Sunshine Girls, the Silver Ferns rose to the occasion with a big second half effort. Based on a gritty defensive showing where captain Casey Kopua continued to showcase her return to top form, in tandem with Leana de Bruin, and the inspiring efforts of midcourter Laura Langman, the Silver Ferns defused and ground down a dangerous Jamaica.
In a show of their building momentum, two days after overcoming defending champions Australia, the Silver Ferns took another big step when taming the talented fourth-ranked team in the world, in the first of the qualification rounds which will decide Saturday’s semi-finalists.
It wasn’t all plain sailing but the new-look New Zealand line-up showed plenty of character to absorb, fight back and repel.
As expected, the Silver Ferns started with the same seven who upstaged Australia on Sunday while spoilt for shooting choice, Jamaica started with the world-class Romelda Aiken under the hoop.
The Silver Ferns got away to a sizzling start, bursting out to a five-goal advantage on the back of a stifling full-court defence which slowed the Jamaican’s progress on attack.
Langman, Kayla Cullen, Katrina Grant and Maria Tutaia were prominent on defence while the Bailey Mes/Tutaia shooting combination continued to shine with its movement and accuracy under the hoop.
Jamaica fought back strongly to take some of the sting out of the Silver Ferns momentum with key playmaker Paula Thompson at centre pitching in with her pin-point feeding to Aiken.
The Silver Ferns replied strongly to hold a narrow 14-11 lead at the first break.
The Sunshine Girls turned up the heat on the resumption, slowly eating away at the deficit before making their move through the exploits of the athletic Thompson and her fellow attackers in getting more quality ball into Aiken’s reliable hands.
Tightening up their defence with Stacian Facey at goalkeeper having an imposing presence and finding more movement and flow through court, Jamaica produced a stunning second stanza.
Making the most of their turnover opportunities with an impressive conversion rate and the ability to retain possession, the Sunshine Girls put the acid on the Silver Ferns. Playing with confidence and vitality, Jamaica’s unrelenting pressure paid dividends when they headed to the main break with a 27-24 lead.
The Silver Ferns replied in similar fashion during a bruising and combative third stanza. With Jamaica initially doing a sterling job of holding their lead, the Silver Ferns sprung into action late in the piece.
With de Bruin replacing Grant, the Silver Ferns lifted their defensive efforts, Kopua instrumental in halting the flow to Aiken. With Kopua, Cullen and the ever-present Langman producing key turnovers, and Tutaia becoming a prominent figure on attack, a late rally helped the Silver Ferns repair the damage of the previous quarter when taking a 40-37 lead at the last break.
Jamaica proved they were far from done, challenging and testing the Silver Ferns in a dramatic run to the line when closing to within one. But the Sunshine Girls were unable to get the vital breakthrough under sustained pressure, the Silver Ferns showing their strength of character with a determinedly strong finish to remain unbeaten after four outings.
Quarter-by-Quarter Scores
SILVER FERNS│ Q1: 14 – Q2: 24 (10) – Q3: 40 (16) – Q4: 55 (15)
JAMAICA│ Q1: 11 – Q2: 27 (16) – Q3: 37 (10) – Q4: 48 (11)
Shooting Statistics
SILVER FERNS: 55/68 @ 81%
Mes: 19/25 @ 76%
Tutaia: 36/43 @ 84%
JAMAICA: 48/53 @ 91%
Aiken: 41/44 @ 93%
Beckford: 7/9 @ 78%
Starting Line-ups
SILVER FERNS│ GS Mes, GA Tutaia, WA Rasmussen, C Langman, WD Cullen, GD Grant, GK Kopua
JAMAICA│ GS Aiken, GA Beckford, WA Williams, C Thompson, WD Henry, GD Williams, GK Facey
Positional Changes
SILVER FERNS
Q3 – GD de Bruin