WBC Week Seven roundup - Otago move into top four

On a busy weekend of Womens Basketball Championship (WBC) action Site Weld Otago Goldrush, with two road victories, moved into the top four on the ladder after successes against Capital Swish and Taranaki Thunder.

There were also wins for two other top four teams Waikato Wizards and Waikato Country Cannons. Capital and Tauranga City Coasters were the other winners.

On Friday night Otago were in Wellington to take on Capital Swish.

After a close first half, shaded by Otago 40-39, the visitors produced a dominant third period to establish a 63-50 lead, a brace of threes from Soraya Umaga-Jensen and Danielle Frost broke the game open.

Leah Mafua produced 10 straight points to cut the Otago lead to eight points with 4:30 to play in the final period.

However baskets from the experienced trio of Janet Main, Natalie Visger and Umaga-Jensen ensured an Otago win

Score: Capital Swish 71 - Mafua 22, Penese 16, Murphy 14, Vaofusi 7

Site Weld Otago Goldrush 83 - Umaga-Jensen 21, Main 11, Richards 10, Frost 10

Site Weld Otago Goldrush made it two from two backing up on Saturday to beat Taranaki Thunder 49-46 at TSB Arena.

Taranaki made a solid start with Jess Tuki and Lyndi Laborn helping the Thunder to a 10-6 lead. Otago then claimed the initiative with a 17-3 run either side of the quarter time break and with Grace Love scoring six points carried a 25-16 lead into the half-time break.

Otago guard Nicole Ruske scored 8 points, including a brace of threes, in the third stanza as Otago stretched its advantage to 39-27 with ten minutes to play.

A couple of Zoe Richardss baskets kept Otago in the ascendancy but Taranaki stormed back into the game with a 10-0 run. A Simone Cook three reduced the Otago lead to a single point, sister Isabelle making the go ahead basket - 44-43 with 2 minutes to play.

The NZ Select pair of Janet Main and Soraya Umaga-Jensen thwarted the Taranaki comeback.

Umaga-Jensen hit a critical jump shot with ninety seconds remaining and then Main drew a foul and converted from the foul line.

The Thunder committed a turnover on the next possession allowing Ruske to ice the game from the free throw line to give Otago its sixth win of the season.

Score: Taranaki 46 - Laborn 10, Tuki 7, S Cook 6

Site Weld Otago Goldrush 49 - N Ruske 10, Umaga-Jensen 8, Richards 8, Frost 6

Also on Saturday Waikato Wizards recorded a 64-52 home win against Auckland Lady Rangers to solidify third spot on the ladder.

The Wizards, without Charlisse Leger-Walker who was attending the Tall Ferns Selection Camp, were paced by 16 points from forward Miriam Stevens.

Auckland was well served by young Mt Albert Grammar School forward Sharne Pupuke-Robati who led all scorers with 20 points.

The Wizards only led 54-44 at three-quarter time but put the clamps on the Auckland offence in the final stanza to record a seventh straight win.

Score: Waikato Wizards 64 - Stevens 16, Lewis 13, Pitman 12, Leef 8

Auckland Lady Rangers 52 - Pupuke-Robati 20, Povey 10, Nicholson 6

Capital Swish bounced back in style from their loss against Otago by defeating Rotorua Lady Vols 97-57 on Sunday.

The Capital win was set up by Sariah Penese and Lily Murphy (21 points). 2016 Junior Tall Fern Penese finished a strong performance with 26 points (6/9 3PG), 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

Capital was dominant from the outset leading 25-16 at quarter time, extended to 50-23 at the interval - Penese and Murphy combined for six triples in the half.

Matangiroa Flavell and Awatea Leach helped work Rotorua back into the contest in the third period but the Capital advantage was never really threatened as Grace Simi Vaofusi and Leah Mafua moved to double figure scoring before the final whistle.

Score: Capital Swish 97 - Penese 26, Murphy 21, Mafua 12, Vaofusi 10

Rotorua Lady Vols 57 - Flavell 20, Leach 18, Kingi 5, E Pene 5

In Whangarei Waikato Country Cannons moved level with Alloyfold Canterbury Wildcats at the top of the table beating Te Tai Tokerau Phoenix 67-41.

New Zealand 3x3 representative Breana Jones led the Cannons scoring with 16 points as they opened up a 35-25 first half lead.

Jaimee-Lee Tito (10 points) led the Phoenix effort but they were outscored 32-16 in the second half as the Cannons won an eighth straight game.

Score: Te Tai Tokerau Phoenix 41 - Tito 10, Daniels 7, Leonard 6, Hetaraka-Sadler 6

Waikato Country Cannons 67 - Jones 16, Asaua-Wilkinson 12, Morris 12, Elkington 10

In the other game Rotorua Lady Vols lost its second game of the round going down 67-49 against Tauranga City Coasters.

The Coasters built a 29-20 half-time advantage powered by the forward/guard tandem Maka Daysh and Cairyn-Marie Rogers.

The Vols were indebted to Matangiroa Flavell for her twenty points but could do little to counter the perimeter shooting of the Coasters in the second half.

Rogers connected with three triples in the half, sister Briarley landed a couple more and Courtney Wilson added the closing points as the Coasters eased to a second win of the season

Score: Rotorua Lady Vols 49 - Flavell 20, Kingi 10, Raerino 7

Tauranga City Coasters 67 - Cairyn-Marie Rogers 21, Daysh 17, Briarey Rogers 12

WBC Standings:

8-1 Alloyfold Canterbury Wildcats

8-1 Waikato Country

7-1 Waikato Wizards

6-2 Site Weld Otago Goldrush

5-4 Taranaki Thunder

5-4 Capital Swish

3-4 Harbour Breeze

2-6 Auckland Lady Rangers

2-7 Tauranga City Coasters

1-8 Rotorua Lady Vols

0-9 Te Tai Tokerau Phoenix

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Basketball New Zealand