Basketball: Tall Ferns show fight against Cubans

New Zealand again fell just short of victory in the final match against Cuba, the world's fifth-ranked women's basketball team, at Havana yesterday.

The Tall Ferns, ranked 19th, led through the first three quarters before fading to a 71-64 loss, leaving them without a win in the three-match series.

It followed similarly-narrow losses - 75-67 and 56-43 - in the other two matches.

The home team swept into the lead with an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter yesterday but New Zealand still trailed by only three points with 30 seconds remaining.

Cuban star Yakelyn Plutin led the way with 16 points, while New Zealand captain Donna Loffhagen had 16 points and 10 rebounds, to average a "double double" for the series 14.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

"We may have lost on the scoreboard but given the conditions and the quality of our opponents, we felt we deserved the win," Tall Ferns coach Mike McHugh said.

- NZPA