Basketball: Tall Ferns reach Asian Cup playoffs

Tall Ferns forward Ashley Karaitiana. Photo / FIBA

The Tall Ferns have advanced to the playoffs of the Asia Cup in Jordan after a 109-49 win over India.

After losses to Korea and Japan, New Zealand delivered an impressive shooting display to set up a match with Australia for a spot in the semifinals.

Penina Davidson led the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Brooke Blair (16 points and three assists) and Tessa Boagni (13 points and nine rebounds) also had strong outings. Three other players cracked double figures.

New Zealand dominated the boards to out-rebound India 55-35 in a dominant all-round performance.

India fell behind 28-14 after the opening spell and decided to shift their focus to stopping the bleeding in close. However, the Kiwis pivoted their game with the extra time and space by way of three pointers.

Their ball movement started to take a toll on the Indian players towards the middle stages of the third spell. As they began to slow, the Tall Ferns went up another gear to take the quarter 23-7 and eventually win by 60 points.

They face Australia overnight tomorrow in what will be the Tall Ferns' fourth game in as many days. The winner will advance to the semifinals to play Japan.