Spain 85
New Zealand 62
KEY POINTS:
A crunch match against the host nation looms tomorrow for the Tall Ferns after Spain brought them thudding back to earth yesterday.
Too big and too polished, Spain inflicted the Ferns' first loss of the tournament and left their quarter-final hopes in the balance.
A big-hearted performance from the Ferns' Stanford University forward Jillian Harmon, who led all scorers with 22 points and five rebounds, kept them within striking distance but the margin blew out in the dying minutes.
A poor first-half shooting effort, just 32 per cent success, saw New Zealand trail 27-40 at the main break but it was their second half that disappointed coach Mike McHugh.
"Their defensive pressure was challenging for us and we lost our poise really. It's the Olympics and you're playing against the second-best team in Europe, it's not easy," he said.
"But having said that, we got it to a winnable situation a couple of times, we just weren't smart enough to go on with it.
"We thought we had a chance against these guys if we played well and generated enough pressure."
The star of Monday's 76-72 win over Mali, Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe, was next best with 10 points as the Ferns shot 39 per cent overall to Spain's 55 per cent. Spain out-rebounded New Zealand 39-28.
Point guard Angela Marino got a torrid welcome from the Spanish defenders, and she hit just one of nine field goal attempts after topscoring against Mali.
McHugh rued a lack of cool heads in his side, with an average age of 22 and just Marino and captain Aneka Kerr back from Athens four years ago.
"When the heat really came on, when we had a chance to win, our inexperience cost us dearly.
"Jillian was magnificent, we just needed a couple more to go with her."
To book a quarter-final spot and emulate their Athens effort, the Ferns need to beat China, the Czech Republic or powerhouses the United States.
The Ferns beat China in Athens but they've improved under Tom Maher, the former Australian coach who also guided the Ferns in 2004. China lost 64-67 to Spain in their opening match.
"We've been close to them, and China's a team that we match up okay with. We've played them enough in the last few years to feel comfortable against them," McHugh said.
Harmon, 21, didn't even know she was eligible for the Ferns through her New Zealand-born mother until it was pointed out by a teammate this year and she switched allegiance.
But the New Yorker was left feeling flat after her starring role yesterday.
"We were all a bit stagnant ... once I hit a couple of layups I got my confidence going a little bit."
- NZPA
