In Pool G of the qualification round at the Allphones Arena, T&T put away Zambia, 66-39, while the Sunshine Girls went down to World number two New Zealand, 55-48, Pool E despite being ahead at half-time.
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The day after Alexander endured her team’s uncharacteristically poor display against the Silver Ferns, she issued the defending champions some home truths.
Shannon Francois, running at wing attack, combined well with centre Laura Langman as the Kiwis scored six of the last eight goals in the quarter for a 30-24 halftime lead.
They edged out to a 20-15 lead, but couldn’t shake off Malawi in an increasingly physical match.
Surprisingly, quite a large part of the crowd were big Malawi fans, and strangely enough, they were all wearing green and gold, while Malawi play in red and black.
The coaching staff will be concerned about how easily rattled the New Zealand side got.
But more importantly, it guarantees the hosts a top-two finish in Pool F, with world number four Jamaica shaping as likely semi-final opponents – a far more attractive option than a re-match with the second-ranked Silver Ferns.
She said it was important for South Africa to play against the best.
Tracey has defended her decision to stay with the team.
Hearing word that the Sharni Army was seeking world domination, the Paige Patrol were out in force in the stadium, with the young Paige Hadley even stepping into Layton’s domain and snatching some intercepts.
A career-best shooting performance by Erin Bell at worldwide level was the highlight of what was a clinical performance by the Diamonds.
While preparing for all outcomes, the Diamonds have been busy picking apart Jamaica’s game.
England came into the game on the back of their 51-41 defeat to the Aussies on Monday and knew they had to win to stand any chance of reaching the semi-finals.
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Incredibly, South Africa was penalised 64 times for contact compared with Australia’s tally of 28. “That’s not been the mentality of me or my family throughout our careers”.
