Samoa and New Caledonia victorious, Australia and New Zealand lead the pack

SUVA (FIBA U18 Women's Oceania Championship 2016) - In a balanced scoring effort the tournament favourites Australia overpowered Tahiti in the opening game of the FIBA U18 Oceania Championships. Australia’s Chantel Horvat finished with a game-high 17 points while Ezi Magbegor added 14 points and 13 rebounds.

The championship host nation, Fiji, couldn’t quite seem to find their feet in front of the home crowd. After a slow first quarter from both teams, Samoa got going offensively on the back of Telesia Manumaleuga 16 points and 6 rebounds. Fiji’s Losalini Katia did what she could by adding 9 points and 15 rebounds but it was enough to get the hosts over the line.

New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea women put on a show of athleticism and toughness, both teams getting after every loose ball and 50/50 play. Papua New Guinea showed tremendous fight and played to the last whistle but unfortunately couldn’t get the reward that their efforts deserved. New Caledonia’s Anais Tuufui put in a solid showing with 16 points and Papua New Guinea’s Svetlana Arthur couldn’t quite get it going on the scoreboard but pulled down 16 rebounds.

Guam came up against a formidable New Zealand team in the last women’s game for the day. They fought hard but were outmatched by a New Zealand team with their sights set on gold and a qualification spot to the FIBA U19 Women’s World Championships in 2017. New Zealand’s Akiene Reed opened her tournament with a 22-point outing and Ky'Lanie Ogo top scored for Guam with 6 points and 4 rebounds.

Monday's results
Australia beat Tahiti 125-5
Samoa beat Fiji 47-26
New Caledonia beat Papua New Guinea 59-20
New Zealand beat Guam 132-18

Tuesday's games
Papua New Guinea v Guam
New Zealand v New Caledonia
Samoa v Australia
Tahiti v Fiji

Check out Monday's games below:

Fiji v Samoa

New Caledonia v Papua New Guinea 

Guam v New Zealand

FIBA