Silver Ferns to meet England in semi-finals
August 14, 2015
The Silver Ferns locked in a semi-final clash with England Uganda
In a special moment, Maria Tutaia celebrated a personal milestone as the Silver Ferns swept to an unbeaten run heading into the semi-finals, the popular shooter notching her 100th Test Cap when coming on in the final quarter.
Tutaia became the fourth player behind Lesley Rumball, Irene van Dyk and current team-mate Laura Langman to reach the 100 Test mark for the Silver Ferns.
Ranked 14th in the world but playing well above that after making the top eight in Sydney, showing the growing status of netball in Africa, Uganda struggled to make an impression against the well-drilled Silver Ferns.
Having never previously played Uganda, the She Cranes presented an unknown quantity for the Silver Ferns but also one who commanded respect after their earlier performances in the tournament.
Weighing up the need to rest players, the Silver Ferns mixed and matched their combinations but turned on a consistent and complete performance throughout to dominate Uganda.
Getting her first start, Malia Paseka, in just her fifth Test, and Jodi Brown formed the starting shooting combination for the Silver Ferns while Shannon Francois picked up the centre’s bib and Phoenix Karaka joined Katrina Grant in the defensive circle.
With a shorter shooting duo, the New Zealanders adopted a flatter style in getting away to a blistering start and surging ahead to deliver a lopsided opening stanza. Uganda struggled to contain the Silver Ferns intensity, their speed and defensive pressure unsettling the She Cranes abilities to find any rhythm or momentum.
The playmaking Brown and athletic Paseka provided a seamless start while Grant and Karaka did the job at the other end with a smothering defensive effort.
Shooting attempts were few and far between for Uganda who took half of the opening stanza to post their first goal, the Silver Ferns making the most of a wealth of turnover opportunities as they skipped out to a 20-3 lead at the first break.
Leana de Bruin came on for Grant on the resumption while Uganda introduced several of their well-performed players from the event, most notably shooters Proscovia Peace and Racheal Nanyonga.
It paid immediate dividends for Uganda who quickly showed increased intensity and movement as the ball found its way more regularly into the shooting circle.
The bright start did not last long forUganda
With Grant replacing Langman at wing defence for the third stanza, the Silver Ferns delivered another strong quarter.Uganda New Zealand
Exciting young talent, Paseka continued to impress under the hoop, enjoying plenty of opportunities with a high conversion rate, going on to post 49 goals for the game, as the Silver Ferns powered to a 56-24 lead at the last break.
Quarter-by-Quarter Scores
SILVER FERNS│ Q1: 20 – Q2: 39 (19) – Q3: 56 (17) – Q4: 76 (20)
UGANDA│ Q1: 3 – Q2: 16 (13) – Q3: 24 (8) – Q4: 33 (9)
Shooting Statistics
SILVER FERNS: 76/91 @ 84%
Paseka: 49/55 @ 89%
Brown: 22/29 @ 76%
Tutaia: 5/7 @ 71%
UGANDA: 33/46 @ 72%
Oyella: 1/2 @ 50%
Amono: 2/4 @ 50%
Peace: 19/22 @ 86%
Nanyonga: 11/18 @ 61%
Starting Line-ups
SILVER FERNS│ GS Paseka, GA Brown, WA Rasmussen, C Francois, WD Langman, GD Grant, GK Karaka
UGANDA│ GS Oyella, GA Amono, WA Nakachwa, C Apako, WD Aschan, GD Ajio, GK Nanteza
Positional Changes
SILVER FERNS
Q2 – GD de Bruin
Q3 – WD Grant,
Q4 – GA Tutaia, C Langman, WA Francois
UGANDA
Q2 – C Meeme, GD Namukasa, GS Peace, GA Nanyonga
Q3 – WD Ajio
In a special moment, Maria Tutaia celebrated a personal milestone as the Silver Ferns swept to an unbeaten run heading into the semi-finals, the popular shooter notching her 100th Test Cap when coming on in the final quarter.
Tutaia became the fourth player behind Lesley Rumball, Irene van Dyk and current team-mate Laura Langman to reach the 100 Test mark for the Silver Ferns.
Ranked 14th in the world but playing well above that after making the top eight in Sydney, showing the growing status of netball in Africa, Uganda struggled to make an impression against the well-drilled Silver Ferns.
Having never previously played Uganda, the She Cranes presented an unknown quantity for the Silver Ferns but also one who commanded respect after their earlier performances in the tournament.
Weighing up the need to rest players, the Silver Ferns mixed and matched their combinations but turned on a consistent and complete performance throughout to dominate Uganda.
Getting her first start, Malia Paseka, in just her fifth Test, and Jodi Brown formed the starting shooting combination for the Silver Ferns while Shannon Francois picked up the centre’s bib and Phoenix Karaka joined Katrina Grant in the defensive circle.
With a shorter shooting duo, the New Zealanders adopted a flatter style in getting away to a blistering start and surging ahead to deliver a lopsided opening stanza. Uganda struggled to contain the Silver Ferns intensity, their speed and defensive pressure unsettling the She Cranes abilities to find any rhythm or momentum.
The playmaking Brown and athletic Paseka provided a seamless start while Grant and Karaka did the job at the other end with a smothering defensive effort.
Shooting attempts were few and far between for Uganda who took half of the opening stanza to post their first goal, the Silver Ferns making the most of a wealth of turnover opportunities as they skipped out to a 20-3 lead at the first break.
Leana de Bruin came on for Grant on the resumption while Uganda introduced several of their well-performed players from the event, most notably shooters Proscovia Peace and Racheal Nanyonga.
It paid immediate dividends for Uganda who quickly showed increased intensity and movement as the ball found its way more regularly into the shooting circle.
The bright start did not last long for
With Grant replacing Langman at wing defence for the third stanza, the Silver Ferns delivered another strong quarter.
Exciting young talent, Paseka continued to impress under the hoop, enjoying plenty of opportunities with a high conversion rate, going on to post 49 goals for the game, as the Silver Ferns powered to a 56-24 lead at the last break.
Quarter-by-Quarter Scores
SILVER FERNS│ Q1: 20 – Q2: 39 (19) – Q3: 56 (17) – Q4: 76 (20)
UGANDA│ Q1: 3 – Q2: 16 (13) – Q3: 24 (8) – Q4: 33 (9)
Shooting Statistics
SILVER FERNS: 76/91 @ 84%
Paseka: 49/55 @ 89%
Brown: 22/29 @ 76%
Tutaia: 5/7 @ 71%
UGANDA: 33/46 @ 72%
Oyella: 1/2 @ 50%
Amono: 2/4 @ 50%
Peace: 19/22 @ 86%
Nanyonga: 11/18 @ 61%
Starting Line-ups
SILVER FERNS│ GS Paseka, GA Brown, WA Rasmussen, C Francois, WD Langman, GD Grant, GK Karaka
UGANDA│ GS Oyella, GA Amono, WA Nakachwa, C Apako, WD Aschan, GD Ajio, GK Nanteza
Positional Changes
SILVER FERNS
Q2 – GD de Bruin
Q3 – WD Grant,
Q4 – GA Tutaia, C Langman, WA Francois
UGANDA
Q2 – C Meeme, GD Namukasa, GS Peace, GA Nanyonga
Q3 – WD Ajio