May 31, 2008

Agonizing loss to Japan

The Tall Ferns suffered what they describe as an agonizing 67-71 loss to Japan in the third outing of their European tour. Jillian seems to be recovering from her jet lag -- she scored 10 points.

The team gets to rest on Sunday, except for coach McHugh's promised intensive video session, before a short trip back to Madrid for another game against Angola. Read more...

May 30, 2008

Tall Ferns lose to Spain

The Tall Ferns lost the second game of their European tour to Spain, 77-58.

Jillian, who is reported to be suffering from fatigue, was able to contribute only 15 minutes and two points to the effort.

Here is the game report from the Tall Ferns and another from New Zealand TV3.

The Tall Ferns stay in Valencia for their next game tomorrow against Japan. Coach McHugh thinks they can win that one.

May 28, 2008

European tour off to a good start

The Tall Ferns defeated Angola 63-55 in the first game of their "friendly" tour of Europe. Jillan and Angela Marino led the scoring with 14 points apiece. Jillian also had nine rebounds.

Next up -- a daunting match against juggernaut Spain (who defeated Angola by 30 two nights ago). Read more...

May 27, 2008

Tough road trip for Ferns

Coach Mike McHugh and the Tall Ferns are off on a tough road trip to Spain and the Czech Republic. They'll play six games in nine days against teams that will be competing the following week for the final five Olympic positions:

May 28 v Angola in Madrid
May 30 v Spain in Valencia
May 31 v Japan in Valencia
June 2 v Angola in Madrid
June 4 v Czech Republic in Brno
June 5 v Czech Republic in Brno

Read more...

May 8, 2008

What next for Jillian and Clare?

Jillian and Clare are on the squad that will tour Spain and the Czech Republic May 28 - June 5 to play Angola, Spain, Japan and the Czech Republic, as reported by the Tall Ferns

Those four teams are among those who will be competing for the final five Olympic positions, as explained by USA Basketball. That competition will take place in Madrid June 9-15. If you don't know how Jillian and Clare became Tall Ferns, or would  like to read about it again, here are two accounts of the whole saga, beginning with Clare's email to "Whom it may concern":

April 30, 2008

A report from Candice

Candice tells us a bit about her experiences in  China and what it's like being a  Team USA rookie in this WNBA blog.

April 27, 2008

USA team tours Beiing "must see" spots

Members of the USA team took some time after the Good Luck Beijing Tournament to tour the Great Wall and Tian'anmen Square. Here is the complete photo gallery.

April 26, 2008

Two close losses

USA Basketball and New Zealand both lost their final game in the Good Luck Beijing Tournament by just three points.

New Zealand led most of the game, but succumbed to Korea's 3-point shooting in the third quarter for a final score of 67-70. Jillian led all scorers with 20 points, and had six rebounds. Here is the game report and the box score.

Although the Tall Ferns  won only one game in the tournament, coach McHugh was impressed with what they accomplished. He feels that the experience was of tremendous benefit to them in their preparations for the Olympics in August.

Both Clare and Jillian made valuable  contributions throughout the week.  

Clare started all five games and played an average of 19 minutes per game.  She averaged 5.7 points per game and  led the team in 3-point percentage (50).

Jilllian  played an average of  25 minutes per game.  She was the team's second-best scorer (11.7 points per game) and rebounder (6.3 per game).


China was determined to win the gold medal and defeated the USA 84-81. Quotes from the USA tell the story:

Anne Donovan:  "They played a tremendous game  ... really attacked us."
Katie Smith: "They were really aggressive."
Lisa Leslie: "They were all over us in the post."

Here is the game report and box score.

In spite of the unexpected defeat by China, the USA is still favored to win its fifth gold medal in the upcoming Olympic Games. The loss, as Lisa Leslie said, "... is enough motivation to drive me to be even better for the Olympics and be totally focused ... It's a reality check."

The primary strength of this USA squad was their post play -- Sylvia Fowles averaged the team-high 17 points and  10.5 rebounds per game; Lisa Leslie averaged 14.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game . 

Candice played a fairly modest role in the mostly very experienced group of players. Although her statistics are not impressive, she contributed a lot to the team effort. She played an average of 21 minutes per game, scored 5.3 points per game, and led the team in steals (7).

On Saturday afternoon, between the bronze and gold medal games, FIBA  conducted the draw for the Olympic men's and women's basketball competition.  The USA and New Zealand women will play each other again in Beijing on August 17th. Here is a full report  and a video of the draw ceremony.
Here is a summary report of the entire tournament from Beijing.

April 25, 2008

Opals lose their lustre

Here's another article about New Zealand's historic defeat of Australia yesterday in the Good Luck Beijing Tournament.

Remember how exciting it was when the Cardinal defeated Tennessee last December for the first time in eleven years?  The Kiwi's defeat of the Opals was the first time in thirty (30) years! How thrilling for Jillian and Clare to be part of this momentous event!