Tall Ferns’ World Cup bid over after loss to Puerto Rico

The Tall Ferns’ bid to reach the World Cup has come to an end after they were beaten 77-61 by Puerto Rico yesterday.

After losing their opening four games of the World Cup qualifiers, the Tall Ferns needed to beat the host nation by 24 points to punch their ticket to the pinnacle event.

The Tall Ferns started well, forcing five turnovers, and Ashlee Strawbridge and Ella Tofaeono helped the New Zealanders to a nine-point lead at the first break.

Tofaeono’s dominance down low continued into the second quarter, but the Puerto Ricans never went away.

Pamela Rosado knocked down consecutive triples, Jacqueline Benitez dropped a couple more and India Pagan’s lay-up gave Puerto Rico a 40-38 lead at halftime.

Tofaeono picked up where she left off, scoring the first points in the third quarter, making herself the first Kiwi in double digits.

Sharne Robati soon matched her courtesy of a couple of tough buckets, taking her tally to 11 points.

Rosado continued to provide for her team, scoring baskets and dishing off to her team-mates to help Puerto Rico lead 60-54 at the break.

The Tall Ferns held strong and played some of their best basketball through the opening three quarters.

But Puerto Rico opened the final quarter with a 9-0 run to cement their lead and book their spot at the World Cup in Berlin.

"I’m incredibly proud of our group," Tall Ferns coach Nat Hurst said.

"They fought in every game, showed up for each other, and continued to grow as the tournament went on. We kept chipping away, improving day by day, and most importantly, staying connected as a unit through some tough moments."