Posted By Staff Reporter
THE Papua New Guinea Pepes returned to the winners circle in the Nations Cup yesterday after thrashing the United States of America 72-31 in Singapore.
The Pepes, with the best world ranking at 18 in this tournament, started off strongly on the opening day on Sunday, beating Sri Lanka 76-52 before going down to hosts Singapore 44-43 the next day. Against Uganda on Tuesday, a game the Pepes were confident of winning, did not turn out as expected as the Pepes could not knock off the Africans, drawing 52-52. Pepes co-captain Winnie Mavara said the draw on Tuesday was a a disappointment as they had hoped to win that game. “We were hoping to win this one (against Uganda). We did not expect such a hard game,” said Mavara, who started at centre. She was replaced by young Kimberley Rawali in the second quarter. Rawali (pictured) made her international debut in fine fashion, with a significant contribution to keep her shooters well supplied with balls. “They came out stronger in the second half, they wanted it more. They are very physical compared to the other teams we have played; from the shooters to the defenders. “Tomorrow against the USA we have to go out hard, we have to get back to winning again,” Mavara (pictured) said. And that’s exactly what they did yesterday against 19th ranked USA which would have given their confidence a massive boost as it puts them back on course for the play-offs. That victory on the back of a well-controlled team performance where they led throughout until the final whistle puts them in good stead as they now prepare for tomorrow’s game against Republic of Ireland to confirm a top-two playoff spot on Saturday. The Pepes gave themselves the ideal start when they led USA 23-9 in the first quarter and maintained the advantage 38-18 at half-time. At the close of the third quarter PNG were never in any real danger of dropping the match as they streaked away to a 29-point lead, 55-26. Towering Tiata Baldwin at goal shooter and veteran Maleta Roberts at goal attack were in command from the first whistle and never looked like slowing the tempo or taking the foot off the gas. The rest of the team contributed with solid displays as Papua New Guinea controlled most facets of the game from mid-court to both shooting circles. PNG Facts / The National Comments are closed.
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