The 2degrees Tall Ferns tipped off their FIBA Women鈥檚 Asia Cup 2025 campaign in a fiery Group A matchup against Korea in Shenzhen, China.
New Zealand struck first with Emme Shearer slicing to the rim for a bucket straight off the tip. Shearer setting the tone early, scoring 9 of the Tall Ferns鈥� first 11 points, igniting the Tall Ferns to an early lead.
Korea responded with relentless hustle, dominating the offensive glass and launching a barrage from beyond the arc. Their early success from deep was evident, knocking down five triples in the opening quarter alone en-route to regaining the lead mid-way through the opening quarter.
A namely familiar to many Kiwi hoops fans, former Tokomanawa Queens import, Park Ji-Hyun made an immediate impact for Korea, with 8 points in the quarter.
The grindy, gritty, physicality of this match-up metaphorically described by the amount of bodies flying to the floor, with both teams unwilling to relent an inch.
Despite the Tall Ferns鈥� hustle and , the first quarter closed with New Zealand trailing 19-24.
McKenna Dale opened the second quarter with a confident triple, but Korea quickly surged ahead behind Isaem Choi鈥檚 individual brilliance – scoring seven straight points to push the lead to 11 and force Tall Ferns Head Coach, Nat Hurst to call her second timeout of the half.
Esra McGoldrick continued to lead by example, battling in the paint and going toe-to-toe with the Korean bigs.
A huge McGoldrick block and savvy steal led to a fast-break lay-in for Pahlyss Hokianga, trimming the deficit to seven.
In one of the most bizarre moments of the night, a fortuitous bounce saw Korea accidentally tip the ball into their own basket, with Bailey Flavell credited with her first points of the tournament in probably the most unique and unforgettable fashion in her young career to date.
Korea鈥檚 Leesul Kang responded with back-to-back triples – her third and fourth of the night – bringing her tally to 13 points and becoming the third Korean player in double figures before halftime. Choi added another triple as Korea looked to blow the game wide open, stretching the lead to 15.
But the Tall Ferns weren鈥檛 done. Captain Esra McGoldrick powered in back-to-back buckets, and Pahlyss Hokianga nailed a clutch three to close the half, cutting the Korean lead to just eight.
Just as she did in the first, Emme Shearer opened the third quarter with four quick points, sparking another Tall Ferns surge.
Esra McGoldrick continued her relentless effort, adding more to her tally and helping cut the lead to a one-possession game early in the period.
But Korea鈥檚 sharpshooters struck again鈥擪ang and Choi each drilling triples to quickly restore a double-digit buffer. The game evolved into a see-saw battle, with both teams trading blows and refusing to give an inch.
Kang remained lethal from deep, hitting her sixth triple of the night, before she went down in the third with an apparent injury.
Tall Ferns found a spark off the back of a couple of steals that led to debutant Rebecca Pizzey knocking down a couple of easy buckets, helping swing momentum back toward New Zealand.
Despite the fightback, Korea maintained their edge, closing the third quarter with an 11-point lead.
The final period began with another four-point burst from the Tall Ferns, highlighted by Tayla Dalton鈥檚 fifth assist of the night鈥攖hreading a pass to a cutting McKenna Dale for the finish.
New Zealand refused to back down, but Park Ji-Hyun began to assert herself, taking control of the game. Isaem Choi continued her hot shooting, hitting her fifth triple and reaching 21 points midway through the quarter.
With 4:40 left, the Tall Ferns were down eight. Shearer and Pizzey attacked the rim for crucial buckets, while Hokianga鈥檚 relentless on-ball defense kept the pressure on Korea鈥檚 ball handlers, making life difficult.
But as she had so often in this game Park Ji-Hyun delivered yet again. A corner triple found the bottom of the net, in what looked like the dagger. Korea up nine, with a tick over two left to play.
Then came Emme Shearer鈥檚 moment. The University of Portland standout knocked down a clutch corner three to cut the lead to four, followed by two valuable free throws to make it a one-possession game with under a minute to play.
6.5 seconds left, Tall Ferns trailing by two.
Shearer off the back of a scrappy possession sinking a stunning mid-range turnaround jumper 鈥揾er seventh straight point – to tie the game at 76-all.
But heartbreak followed. Korea鈥檚 Park Jisu drove the lane and finishing through contact with just half a second remaining, sealing an 78-76 win for Korea in a dramatic finish.
A massive effort from the Tall Ferns who showed immense heart and resilience, pushing a talented Korean side to the brink in a thrilling Group A opener.
鈥淭hey jumped us with their physicality. I thought it took us at least 20 minutes of the game to get used to the style of that they were going to play. I think once we felt comfortable we were able to fight through a few things.鈥�
Coach Nat Hurst with a lot of positives to takeaway from a valiant 2degrees Tall Ferns effort.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of stats where we look and we鈥檙e pretty happy with, and some we can see a lot of room for improvement. But to get knocked down and continue to fight back and give ourselves a chance to win, I鈥檓 pretty happy with the girls.鈥�
The squad was prepared for the Koreans to try and shoot the ball at a high-clip, and adjustments will need to be made quicker in the eyes of skipper, Esra McGoldrick.
鈥淵eah, I think we expected Korea to shoot the lights out. Going off that we need to adjust a bit more on defence. I think in time, in the second half we did that, so just some things that we can control a bit better moving into the next game.鈥�
A bright spark in this game was the play of Emme Shearer, who took over down the stretch finishing with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
鈥淲e know she鈥檚 a versatile player, can shoot, can drive 鈥� great on defence too. I think for the next game, obviously we鈥檙e going to get some more looks for her. But I think overall we鈥檝e got some talented players, I think all of us can, if given a chance, can have a good game. We鈥檙e just glad Emme showed up for this game and played the way she did.鈥�
It鈥檒l be a quick turnaround for the Tall Ferns, as they now turn their attention to tomorrow night鈥檚 game against Indonesia.
2degrees Tall Ferns 76 (Shearer 22, Pizzey 11, Dale 11, McGoldrick 10) defeated by Korea 78 (Choi 23, Park 20, Kang 19)
Q1: 19-24
HT: 38-46
Q3: 53-64
FT: 76-78
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