In a spirited showdown at the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, the 26th-ranked New Zealand 2degrees Tall Ferns faced off against the formidable 4th-ranked Chinese team in their final group stage match in Shenzhen.
The crowd was raucous and filled with many Chinese fans, ready to see their side go to battle with the Kiwi’s.
Coach Nat Hurst’s squad came out with intensity, with Bec Pizzey setting the tone early—scoring the opening basket and following it up with a second-chance effort off an offensive rebound.
The Tall Ferns showed early promise, particularly on the defensive end, where they worked hard to contain China’s towering frontcourt duo of Han Xu and Zhang Ziyu. Ritorya Tamilo even made a statement with a block on Zhang, highlighting the Tall Ferns determination down low.
Despite the strong start, China’s Shuyu Yang ignited the home crowd with two early three-pointers, sparking a run that saw the hosts pull ahead.
Xu and Ziyu eventually found their rhythm, combining for 10 points and helping China build a 15-point lead by the end of the quarter.
The second quarter saw China’s Liwei Yang shift into high gear, scoring five straight points to stretch the home side’s lead to 22.
But the Tall Ferns refused to back down. Their relentless hustle paid off when Emme Shearer knocked down a three-pointer, capitalising on back-to-back offensive rebounds.
Although China’s lead remained firm, getting contributions from each of their players.
McKenna Dale’s deep three with under four minutes left in the half gave the Kiwis a spark. Moments later Dale she made her presence felt on the defensive end of the floor,Ěý timing a superb transition block that silenced the home crowd momentarily.
Pahlyss Hokianga added a touch of finesse with a beautiful double-pump reverse layup near the end of the half, but despite their grit and determination, the 2degrees Tall Ferns trailed by 19 at halftime.
The third quarter began with Bec Pizzey once again leading the charge, sinking a Duncan-esque bank shot from the low block.
Emme Shearer soon followed with her second triple of the night, to kick start the Tall Ferns second half of scoring.
However, China’s 7’3” phenom Zhang Ziyu began to assert herself, finding ways to score despite the Tall Ferns’ relentless and physical defence.
China quietly pieced together a 12-0 run to take control of the quarter, before Tayla Dalton broke the streak with a much-needed bucket.
Charlotte Whittaker found some rhythm in the post, adding a couple of solid buckets, but the Chinese continued to build momentum. By the end of the third, the home side had extended their lead to a commanding 28 points.
Ritorya Tamilo opened the fourth quarter with a strong move to the rim, finishing through contact and converting the three-point play at the line.
Despite her efforts, a pair of Chinese three-pointers helped stretch the lead even further.
Charlotte Whittaker responded with a deep mid-range jumper and later became the first Kiwi to reach double digits, thanks to a beautiful fast-break dime from Ashlee Strawbridge.
Pahlyss Hokianga added valuable points late in the quarter, lifting her personal tally to seven, but China’s depth and firepower proved too much in the final minutes, as they pulled away to secure an 85–51 victory.
The 34-point margin mirrored the result from the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup, where China defeated the Tall Ferns 80–46.
The final score perhaps not capturing the heart, hustle, and toughness of the 2degrees Tall Ferns in a match-up in which they fought right down to the final buzzer.
“We can’t be too disappointed with what we were able to put out there against a very great team.”
Coach Nat Hurst pleased with the fight that her young side showed in a match-up with one of the world’s best.
“We’re building a solid foundation that we need to continue to grow off. Like when we look at the score tonight, that’s why we’re not too disappointed because I feel like we did a lot of great things out there as we’re trying to build.”
McKenna Dale reiterating the words of her coach.
“Obviously China is a great team, they have a lot of talent. But I think as a team, we were pretty proud of ourselves and how we did and how we came out. I think we showed we’re a deep team who can have a lot of rotations and a lot of people can step up at any time.
We’re pretty young, we were a little bit undersized compared to them but I think we made up for that in heart and hustle.”
And that they did – something that all 2degrees Tall Ferns, and łÔąĎ51±¬ÁĎÍřAPP fans can be extremely proud of.
The Tall Ferns have a rest day tomorrow as they prepare to take on Japan in the qualification semi-finals on Friday night, 11:30pm NZT.
2degrees Tall Ferns 51 (Whittaker 10, Dalton 9, Pizzey & Shearer 8) defeated by China 85 (Zhang Ziyu & Shuyu Yang 12, Han Xu 10).
Q1: 10-25
HT: 23-42
Q3: 38-66
FT: 51-85
