The Tall Ferns’ bid to qualify for the 2022 World Cup are over.
Needing to beat Australia to reach the all-important top-four at the Fiba Asia Cup in Jordan, their 72-61 defeat on Friday ensures they won’t feature in the next stage of World Cup qualifying next year.
In a repeat of the 2019 Asia Cup, the defeat sets up a fifth-placed playoff with Chinese-Taipei on Sunday.
Charlisse Leger-Walker led the Tall Ferns with 17 points on seven of 20 shooting, adding four assists and a couple of steals, while sister Krystal Leger-Walker added 12 points.
The match was all square at 20-20 after the opening quarter, before the Aussies took a 40-34 lead at the split.
New Zealand hung tough in the second spell and were within five points with a few minutes to play, but could not make the shots count when it mattered.
WNBA guard Sam Whitcomb proved the difference, pouring in 29 points for the Opals, drilling seven of 17 from the field, dishing six assists and notching seven rebounds.
If Whitcomb wasn’t scoring from the field, she was getting to the charity stripe, where she knocked down 11 of 13 attempts.
The Fiba Asia Cup marked the first international action for the Tall Ferns in two years.
Australia 72 (Sam Whitcomb 29, Lauren Scherf 13, Darcee Garbin 10) New Zealand 61 (Charlisse Leger-Walker 17, Krystal Leger-Walker 12). 1Q: 20-20; HT: 40-34; 3Q: 54-45.
