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You can’t keep an Australian basketball team for long.
Australia roared back to the Constellation Cup, defeating the Silver Ferns 45-36 in Test 2 in Christchurch on Wednesday to tie the series at 1-1 with two games to go.
Again played behind closed doors under Covid-19 level 2 restrictions, the Diamonds delivered the turnaround performance that Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua was wary of.
So impressive in Tuesday’s first test win 49-44, it was a bitterly disappointing display from the Ferns, who would have been determined to back their game and build a 2-0 series lead.
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New Zealand has not won the trophy since 2012 and will have to quickly get back to the drawing board before the last two events of the weekend, if they want to break that long drought.
Slow to start the game, the Ferns quickly fell to a 15-6 hole in the first quarter and by halftime they were in deep trouble, 30-16 down.
Trailing for that kind of score against a Diamond-class team, it was always going to be a mountain to climb.
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
Silver Ferns goal shot Maia Wilson shouldered the shooting winger without the injured Ameliaranne Ekenasio.
Whatever Taurua told her players in the half-time locker room seemed to work with New Zealand finally waking up from their first-half slumber.
They made a 7-1 start in the second half to cut Australia’s lead to 31-23 and give themselves hope.
New Zealand finished the strongest match of the two sides, but the damage had already been done.
Give Australians a lot of credit. New coach Stacey Marinkovich and her team left after Tuesday’s loss and did their homework with the Ferns and carried out their game plan to perfection.
Having spent 14 days in controlled isolation and only coming out on Monday, Australia was naturally slow off the blocks in the first test. Wednesday was a different story.
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Ferns goal Sulu Fitzpatrick tries to stop Australian Kiera Austin on Wednesday.
Sent off the court in the first half, the Ferns looked like a rabble in Test 50 for defender and vice captain Jane Watson.
The Ferns took a hit on the eve of the game with captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio resting as a precaution after a hit to the right calf late in the first test. They missed his presence very much and will be eager for him to return to the field healthy for the third test on Saturday.
Monica Falkner took over the starting job for Ekenasio on goal attack, earning her first straight appearance for the Ferns. She was replaced after just a quarter, making only two attempts, as the Ferns got off to a sloppy start.
Maybe it was the Australian team sponsor stickers stuck on the court, but the Diamonds looked a lot more polished to start the game than 24 hours earlier. This was considered an Australian ‘home game’ with the Constellation Cup traditionally featuring two games in both New Zealand and Australia.
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
Monica Falkner started on the Ferns’ goal attack in place of the injured captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio.
It was a start for the Diamonds, who fed off their strong finish in Test 1, running with a 7-1 lead after six minutes.
The Ferns couldn’t have asked for a worse start, flipping the ball four times in the first few minutes and struggling to get the ball into their shooters or even make attempts.
Taking advantage of Ferns’s sloppy pass, Australia was able to fly across the court finding the new shooting combination of Cara Koenen and Kiera Austin, both on their second tryout with ease.
Koenen, who Taurua mentored at the Sunshine Coast Lightning, was busy for the Diamonds, scoring 12 of her 13 attempts in the first 15 minutes.
He benefited from the precise delivery of Test Two captain Liz Watson and Kate Moloney, racking up 19 goals in 20 attempts in the first half.
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
Jane Watson’s parents Ross and Mary cheer her on at her fiftieth tryout for Silver Ferns in Christchurch.
Taurua rushed to his bench two minutes from the end of the first quarter. Clearly unhappy with what she was seeing, Taurua gave a debut to 21-year-old Maddy Gordon, who replaced Sam Winders on wing back, becoming Silver Fern No. 177.
Down 15-6 after the first quarter, there were more changes with Bailey Mes, back after a year out with a serious knee injury, conceding on goal attack and Sulu Fitzpatrick in goal.
New Zealand didn’t finish there, upsetting their half of the court with Shannon Saunders and Whitney Souness, both getting their chance in an attempt to turn on the stuttering Ferns.
Whatever combinations the Ferns raced with, they had few answers for the crafty Diamonds, who were marked on both ends of the court and capitalized on any mistakes.
The Ferns showed greater precision and intensity in the second half, reducing Australia’s lead to 38-28 going into the fourth quarter. However, having to chase the game and make up for such a large deficit in the first half turned out to be too great of a challenge.
Taurua and his side have a lot to reflect on during the weekend.
TAKE A LOOK:
Australia 45 (Cara Koenen: 29/34, Kiera Austin: 13/24, Sophie Garbin: 3/6) New Zealand 36 (Maia Wilson: 32/38, Monica Falkner: 1/2, Bailey Month: 3/5) 1T: 15-6, HT: 30-16, 3Q: 38-28.
