Singapore, ….Singapore faced African visitors Botswana in the final match of the group stage and went down 45-54, narrowly missing out on a place in the finals tomorrow.
Every result was crucial tonight to determine who would make the final four spots. PNG were the only side certain of a space in the final showdown before they took to the court and it was out of Samoa’s hands as they had a rest day.
The large crowd of noisy supporters at Toa Payoh sports hall produced an electric atmosphere as everyone hoped the reigning champions would end the group stages with a victory. Unfortunately for the hosts, it was a case of missed opportunities as the game was there for the taking.
“We had opportunities to win tonight but basic mistakes let us down” said Singapore coach Lisa Beehag.
She continued “We showed that we can match Botswana at times tonight which is very encouraging as they are higher ranked than us and I was really impressed with everyone in the team.”
Singapore’s large defeat by PNG on Wednesday meant it was always going to be an uphill struggle. For a chance at the trophy they had to beat Botswana by 30 points; to make it into the 3rd place playoff, they had to lose by less than six points. However, Singapore came out refreshed after the rest day and played at a high intensity from the whistle, taking the first quarter by a single point (13-12) and they never stopped fighting.
Things slowed for them a little in the second and Botswana picked up their pace and left the court at halftime with a 24-28 advantage. Singapore shooters Chen Huifen and Rachel Sim had an excellent first period, as did Jean Ng and Zhang Tingjun in defence. A few positional changes came in the third for Singapore and the confidence seemed to drop as crucial shots at goal were missed. They were losing ground and slipped behind by ten points at one stage before a time-out gave them a boost and they started to claw back. They closed the gap to six points, much to the crowds’ pleasure, but couldn’t keep their opponents from battling hard and racking up the goals for a 34-42 lead with one quarter to play.
Botswana went all out for the win and was often penalised for their over-enthusiasm with obstructions and fowling. Two of their three shooters – Thulaganyo Retshabile and Tebogo Radipotsane -ended the match with 100% shooting score and their team mates ensured a continual supply of accurate passes for their execution in the circle.
Botswana coach, Lorato Thebekgosi was delighted to make it into the finals. “We played well though made more than a few mistakes. We need to reassess our game plan for tomorrow’s match against PNG and improve on our performance.”
For the reigning Nations Cup champions, the loss was hard to take but Co-Captain Pearline Chan was focusing on the positives. “I am very pleased with how the new members of the squad played.
“They are young and have developed a lot this week. We have only been together for four months so this is an important stepping stone for us and we are all working hard towards the Asian Championships and ultimately towards the World Netball Championships here in 2011.”
In the opening match tonight, the undefeated Papua New Guinea (PNG) played Sri Lanka and took this very close and exciting match 69-64.
It was all square after the first quarter (18-18) and both attacking circles were on fire. The two playing styles complimented each other with a flowing game from end to end. PNG looked to be dominating at the start of the second period but Sri Lanka kept fighting and captain Shashika Samarasinghe (GA) had a solid performance driving her team forward in attack. Sivalingham, the Sri Lankan shooter had another fantastic performance with 98% scoring rate (57 from 58 attempts).
The score was 38-33 in PNG’s favour at the half but they had to work hard in their zone defence to keep ahead. It looked to be their toughest match yet, just three points in front going into the final quarter (52-49) and they held on to take the match by five points.
“I was relieved to win. It was a struggle throughout but we fought to the very end” said Mona-Lisa Leka, PNG Captain.
She continued, “We will need to reassess tonight’s performance compared to our previous three near-flawless games. I think the rest day may have unsettled us slightly. We won’t be underestimating our opponents tomorrow and we will be ready for a hard final.”
The 3rd and 4th placing match will begin at 12.45pm between Samoa and Sri Lanka. The final between PNG and Botswana starts at 3pm at Toa Payoh Sports Hall.
One thing is certain – we will have a new champion of the Fisher & Paykel Nations Cup tomorrow as Singapore missed out on the chance to retain their title.
-END-
Results:
Day 1: Singapore 63 – 66 Sri Lanka
1st:17-13; HT: 32-31; 3rd:47-45; FT: 63-66
Samoa 34 – 49 Botswana
1st:11-17; HT: 19-19; 3rd:28-38; FT: 34-49
Day 2: Samoa 41 – 48 Singapore
1st:7-12; HT: 20-26; 3rd:32-37; FT: 41-48
Botswana 49 – 57 Papua New Guinea
1st: 15-14; HT: 24-28; 3rd: 35-44; FT: 49-57
Day 3: Samoa 49 – 54 Papua New Guinea
1st: 14-16; HT: 29-26; 3rd: 37-41; FT: 49-54
Sri Lanka 61 – 68 Botswana
1st: 16-16; HT: 33-32; 3rd: 47-51; FT: 61-68
Day 4: Singapore 48 – 67 Papua New Guinea
1st: 7-18; HT: 18-42; 3rd: 31-55; FT: 48-67
Samoa 75 – 58 Sri Lanka
1st: 18-14; HT: 37-30; 3rd: 55-47; FT: 75-58
Day 5: Papua New Guinea 69 – 64 Sri Lanka
1st: 18-18; HT: 38-33; 3rd: 52-49; FT: 69-64
Singapore 45 – 54 Botswana
1st: 13-12; HT: 24-28; 3rd: 34-42; FT: 45-54
Remaining fixtures:
6th September
