date_range Published 30 Jul 2018

A strong final quarter has helped the Tall Ferns claim the William Jones Cup.

The side beat Japan 85-74 to go unbeaten through the tournament, winning the final quarter 28-12 after trailing by double-digits throughout most of the second and third quarters.

Ashleigh Karaitiana and Stella Beck both had dominant games with 25 and six assists and 24 points and seven assists respectively.

Meanwhile Otago’s Nicole Ruske provided a handy contribution of five points and two assists in 10 minutes.

Japan led 24-21 after the first quarter and extended that to 46-35 at halftime.

However, New Zealand finished the third quarter strongly to trail 62-59 at the final break.

That dominance continued as it ran away with the game in the fourth.