Gems now 2-0 after another dominant performance | FIBA Oceania U19 Championships for Women
The Australian U19 'Gems' put together another dominant performance at the FIBA Oceania U19 Championships, taking down an undermanned Papua New Guinea 104-16.
Photo credit to Basketball Fiji
Demi Skinner finished the game with a game-high 18 pts & 7 rbs while recent Stanford signee Alanna Smith added 16 pts & 9 rbs of her own.
As expected, the Gems opened the game with a full-court press - taking advantage of the lack of point guard depth of the PNG squad. The Australians put together an offensive barrage, outscoring the small island nation 41-4 in the quarter - South Australia's Demi Skinner totalling 10 points in the 1st period alone.
The Gems continued to show why they were the runaway favourites in this game, dominating the boards throughout the entire 1st half - ultimately finishing the game with a 52-11 rebound advantage. With the majority of their point in the 2nd quarter coming from inside the paint, the Gems went into the main break with a 72-9 lead.
Kristy Wallace | Photo credit to Basketball Fiji
The 3rd and 4th quarters seemed quite lacklustre for the Gems, opting to shoot more from the perimeter as opposed to getting the ball inside the paint. They managed just 32 points in the 2nd half which, despite winning both the 3rd and 4th quarters, is below expectation for a team of this quality. It's only early in the competition but there'll be an inherent complacency and lack of aggressiveness that comes as a result of such lop-sided victories. As an experienced team, with a very capable coaching staff, this is unlikely to be a consistent issue, but it's something that would have to be tackled early in the tournament before they face more capable opponents.
The Gems finished the game with a 104-16 victory, moving to 2-0 in the tournament.
Chantel Horvat provided a great spark off the bench, chipping in with a very efficient 16 pts & 7 rbs. This is Horvat's first look at national team action and she's already proving to be a valuable piece of the squad.
The Gems will face New Caledonia at 8am (AEST) during Wednesday's action.