The Silver Ferns narrowly missed a spot in the Nations Cup final after losing to England 58-57 in Leeds this morning.
The Ferns lead by a goal at halftime. They made a strong comeback from six goals down in the final quarter, but England managed to hang on for the win, with defender Funmi Fadoju snaffling an intercept in the final seconds, preventing a potential goal by Grace Nweke.
The loss means the Silver Ferns will play Uganda for third place, while England and undefeated Australia will meet in the final.
Coach Noeline Taurua introduced Amorangi Malesala and Tayla Earle, who both made their debut in the intense match, replacing Georgia and Kate Heffernan.
Grace Nweke displayed excellent shooting under pressure, and Karin Burger made key intercepts. Nweke scored 47 out of 50 shots, and Malesala contributed six from seven on her debut.
Coach Taurua praised the team’s grit and identified the need to improve in finalizing plays and building connections.
The Ferns were heavily penalised throughout the match suffering 58 to England’s 32.
For England, standouts were Nat Metcalf, who was influential in the midcourt, while Eleanor Cardwell and Helen Housby were effective in the shooting circle.
The Silver Ferns’ only win in the tournament was against Uganda, and they lost their opener to Australia.
