KEY POINTS:
Jet-lagged and well below full strength, Australia showed they still had more than enough depth to handle their closest opposition in their neighbourhood, beating New Zealand 78-46 in the opening game of Oceania women's basketball championship in Dunedin on Wednesday.
With their Olympic tickets already booked as world champions, the Opals are using 2007 to develop the depth of their roster behind stars like Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor.
Fiji are the only other team in the championship, with the winner between them and New Zealand qualifying for another spot in Beijing next year.
Even with only two survivors from last year's successful line-up, Australia proved a class above the plucky Tall Ferns, themselves without inspirational leader Donna Wilkins this year.
The home team actually scored first through a baseline jumper from guard Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe, but veterans Alicia Poto and Natalie Porter conspired in a six-point run that carried the Opals clear for good.
By the end of the first quarter, Australia were 17-11 up and stretched that advantage to double figures with a three-point play from Rohanee Cox and a trey from Poto immediately after the restart.
The Opals reached halftime 36-22 ahead and the margin reached 20 points when Michelle Brogan's lay-up took the scoreline to 49-28.
New Zealand continued to hang on gamely, but fell away to concede the final 11 points of the contest.
The Australians could have been excused for feeling flat, having returned home from a tour of Europe and the United States just last weekend, then flown across the Tasman the day before the Oceania opener.
Coach Jan Stirling applied full court pressure for much of the game, but shared the court time around equitably, allowing everyone a chance to settle into their work.
"We were mindful of the travel," Stirling said.
"But when you play for your nation, you put all that aside and do your best.
"We had a goal at halftime to keep them under 50, which we thought was achievable. It was a good hit-out, but full credit to New Zealand for fighting it out all the way."
Porter led all scorers with 16 points, ably supported by Emma Randall (13 points) and Poto (12 points). As a team, the Opals shot 47.8 per cent from the field and held their opponents to just 30.5 per cent.
The last time the two rivals met, Australia prevailed 99-52 at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan two months ago.
Tall Ferns coach Mike McHugh said this result represented an improvement, but found little comfort in it.
"I was disappointed with the scoreline," he said.
"I thought there were certain periods of the game where, if we had stuck to what we were doing, we could have hung in there."
"Our performance was up and down. We had good patches and bad patches, and in those bad patches, they punished us very quickly."
Pint-sized point guard Angela Marino had 15 points, three assists and three steals for New Zealand, but their best performer was young centre Jess McCormack, who compiled 10 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
McHugh pointed at his team's poor shooting and high turnover rate - they committed 18 to Australia's seven - as the areas of biggest concern.
"But now we have a measure. If we can get past Fiji, we get another crack at Australia in the final on Saturday."
"That's a challenge for us - to put up a better performance."
New Zealand have a bye today as Australia play Fiji, who have just eight players. None of the starting five that won the South Pacific Games title in Apia earlier this month are in the side.
Australia 78 (Natalie Porter 16, Emma Randall 13, Alicia Poto 12) NZ 46 (Angela Marino 15, Jess McCormack 10).
Quarter time 17-11, halftime 36-22 (19-11), threequarter time 56-35 (20-13), fulltime 78-46 (22-11).
- NZPA
