The Tall Ferns travelled to China for the latest Asia Cup with one major objective: don’t come last... or second to last. As long as they avoided those fates then, no matter what else happened, they’d progress in World Cup qualification and keep alive the chances of ending a major tournament drought that drifts all the way back to the 2008 Olympics. Plus it’d also guarantee another batch of meaningful games for the programme and it’s always important to keep these national teams active.

This tour didn’t find the Tall Ferns in peak condition but it didn’t catch them in transition either. This came relatively early in the tenure of head coach Natalie Hurst, who was appointed as the interim boss back in May 2024 after Guy Molloy’s time in the role concluded and then got the job permanently in March 2025. Hurst has had four tours, including a ‘Tall Ferns Select’ trip to Japan, in which to see what talent is available to her – with 31 different players having been picked in those squads (and Charlisse Leger-Walker isn’t even one of them since she was injured that whole time... but the comeback is on at UCLA this upcoming season).

Some of those players will have taken those opportunities and demanded further ones. Others may have missed the bus and will have to wait a little longer. Point being that Coach Hurst has been able to have a good look around. Plus she’s also had enough time to start imparting some more personal style upon the Tall Ferns and that was very clear with how they performed at this Asia Cup. We saw an emphasis on up-tempo basketball and sharp ball-movement upon a strong defensive foundation, a style very nicely suited to the players available. Okay so let’s amend that original idea and settle for three objectives: progress in WCQs, continue to rummage and sift through the player pool, and evolve the basketballing identity. Tick, tick, and tick.

The Tall Ferns of 2025 weren’t able to emulate what their 2023 predecessors did by making the semis of an Asia Cup but they did the next best thing by wrapping up in fifth place. Considering the inexperience of the squad, that’s right about where any reasonably adjusted expectations would have had them. You could even say the only difference between the 2023 and 2025 efforts was that this time we lost by two points against South Korea where as last time we beat them by two points. Other than that, we beat Philippines and lost to China and Japan on both occasions, while wins over Lebanon (2023) and Indonesia (2025) were pretty much equivalent. All that’s missing is the hefty loss vs Australia in the third-placed game... but we didn’t advance as far this time due mostly to the Korea defeat.

Those wins against Indonesia and the Philippines are good reward for the mahi yet it was actually the defeats against South Korea and Japan that offered the most encouragement. Despite the outcomes, those were very competitive performances. The Tall Ferns were level with South Korea before losing to a last-second bucket, while they were leading at half-time against Japan before a terrible third-quarter spoiled things. It’s not hard to see how the injection of an absent star or two (Charlisse Leger-Walker, Tera Reed, Penina Davidson, Tahlia Tupaea, et cetera) could have tipped those games in NZ’s favour. South Korea (14) and Japan (9) are both ranked considerably higher than the Tall Ferns (26) so to push them both like they did, with an understrength squad, a relatively new coach, and very limited opportunities to train and prepare outside of major events is very significant.

Nat Hurst: “We don’t really talk about our lead up, but with this particular group, you know, I had a Tall Ferns squad in May, we had four days of practice. We played three games against the Opals, then I get a Tall Ferns squad in July with five people changed. We have three practices and two practice matches and then we come to Asia Cup. With the new staff, I’ve had eight practices in total, with two different squads, and we’ve come out and we’ve done ourselves proud here at the Asia Cup.”

The next phase of qualifying for the FIBA World Cup takes place in March. Hopefully we get to see the Tall Ferns in some form between now and then, but if not, there’ll still have been full Tauihi, Aussie WNBL, and USA college seasons for most/all of these players in that time. When Hurst first got the interim job, BBNZ’s Women’s High Performance Manager Lisa Wallbutton (herself a former Tall Fern) specifically said that 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic qualification, as well as earning a top-20 FIBA world ranking, were key targets for the programme. She also tried to manifest another top four finish at the Asia Cup which didn’t happen... but close enough. These are ambitious aspirations but you’ve gotta aim high if you want to get anywhere.

The Tournament

South Korea were the best team that the Tall Ferns beat during their run to the semis in the previous edition of this tournament. They were the gatekeepers between success and failure at a time when top four was the requirement for Olympic qualifying progression. This time the objectives were looser. This time the Tall Ferns had key players unavailable and a relatively new head coach in place and that led to a very different story. Sure enough, the South Koreans took the victory. But only just.

Natalie Hurst went with a starting five of Pahlyss Hokianga, McKenna Dale, Emme Shearer, Esra McGoldrick, and Ritorya Tamilo. Good sturdy unit who’d all been involved in previous tours under Hurst, while McGoldrick and Tamilo also happened to be two of the only three players left from the previous Asia Cup (the other being Tayla Dalton). And right from the outset it was clear that Hurst wanted to drive a faster tempo, with more passing and off-ball movement. Shearer had a bright start scoring from inside and out. Rebecca Pizzey checked in early for a debut and promptly set about grabbing rebounds. The energy was great, the workrate was great... but a few too many turnovers and missed shots allowed South Korea to slowly but surely stretch into a lead.

That lead got as high as 15 points... but just when it seemed like a commendable but comfortable defeat was on the cards, suddenly there was a twist in the tale. Trailing by 10 points with four minutes remaining, Pizzey and Shearer both made buckets from in close. Korea hit a three but Tamilo responded with a jumper. Then Emme Shearer took over with a three-ball, a couple of free throws, and a floater that tied the game with six seconds left on the clock. Incredible stuff. Korea kept going for dagger-blow triples that missed and the Ferns gobbled up those stops and turned them into offence to spark a thrilling comeback. Alas, Jisu Park then burst to the hoop to win it for Korea on the buzzer. 78-76.

Might have been different had the Tall Ferns not shot 12/21 from free throws in a two-point loss but so it goes. Shearer scored 22 points (including 4/4 FTs) in a performance that announced her international credentials. Pizzey had 11p/4r on debut. McKenna Dale (11 points) and Esra McGoldrick (10 points) also joined the party as everyone except Olivia Williams got at least some court time. Seventeen-year-old starting point guard Pahlyss Hokianga was a team-best +8 in her 18 mins of action with 5p/5a.

That was a mildly disappointing and hugely encouraging defeat. With that hit-out behind them, there was no question of the Ferns beating Indonesia the following day. A few turnovers and missed shots dogged them to begin with but it wasn’t long before they found their rhythm. This one was built upon quality defence with Indonesia never scoring more than 14 points in any given frame. The Tall Ferns dominated in pretty much every stat category: they were +26 in rebounds, +13 in assists, +6 in blocks, +1 in steals... and they won by 30 points. 75-45 was the final score. Never in doubt.

Whereas points in the paint had been a focus against South Korea, achieved by working good looks via speedy ball movement, this time the same quick passing tended to lead to open threes without any fuss. Indonesia crammed the paint and troubled some shots only for the Ferns to knock down 15/28 trebles with an incredible nine different players making at least one (and nobody more than three). Esra McGoldrick led the way with 18 points in just 23 minutes. Pizzey had 12p/13r. All twelve players were used – including Olivia Williams making her debut – with nobody needing to go past 26 mins. Once again, the youngest player in the squad had the best plus/mins: Hokianga at +24 in 20 mins. The only concern was the free throws again, in fact the TFs somehow conspired to shoot better from threes (53.6%) than from frees (47.1%). And of course this win confirmed NZ’s spot in the knockouts and with it came progress in WCQs.

We then got thrashed by China in the final group stage game. Went down 85-51. This was the opposite effect where the NZers couldn’t hang with their bigger/faster opponents. The same intent was there as Aotearoa tried to play at a rapid tempo with lots of passing, limited dribbling, and plenty of movement... it just didn’t work against a hugely talented Chinese side in front of a raucous home crowd. China packed the paint and New Zealand had to work so hard for their shots, lacking the three-point threat to pull them out.

By the second quarter it was obvious that an upset win wasn’t going to happen, but at least that meant that Coach Hurst could mix things up and give everyone on the bench some good minutes (except Bailey Flavell who sat this one out). The woman who played the fewest minutes was McGoldrick with 11 and she’s the most experienced player so that tells you how it went. This was basically a rest day for EM.

Meanwhile, Tayla Dalton and especially Charlotte Whittaker made the most of their expanded roles with high-energy, physical performances. Whittaker’s 10 point haul was NZ’s top individual score. This time Hokianga had the worst plus/minus at -24... the best mark went to Whittaker at -7. That’s just how it goes against a team like that, unfortunately. This was also the first glimpse that many of us would have had of China’s 18yo phenom Zhang Ziyu, who played ten mins off the bench (12p/4r). Ziyu Zhang stands 7’3 and even Tori Tamilo, the tallest player for NZ, had to jump to block one of her shots. Shout out to wee 5’9 Tayla Dalton who drew an offensive foul from Zhang which knocked her to the floor.

That China game had seen a tweak in the starting five and that’s how it remained against Japan in the quarter-finals with Tayla Dalton, McKenna Dale, Emme Shearer, Esra McGoldrick, and Rebecca Pizzey the five nominees to begin the game. Few neutrals would have picked the kiwis... but a strong defensive start kept it funky before McGoldrick absolutely took over in the second frame with 12 points all to herself (she had 17p/9r at half-time) to launch Aotearoa into an unexpected 41-39 lead at the midway point.

Problem was, other than McGoldrick (who was scoring from all levels) nobody seemed able to work an open look. Japan were too quick and well-organised to pass around and in the third quarter that came to roost as Japan outscored NZ by 22-8 amidst a flurry of kiwi turnovers – 10 of them in the third frame alone. The fourth was a lot better but there was no coming back from that. 77-62 was the final score. McGoldrick finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds but nobody else scored double-figures (Dalton’s 9 points were next best). For what it’s worth, Japan then beat China in the semis before losing to the Aussies in the grand final.

That only left a classification game against the Philippines. A fifth game in six days for the Tall Ferns, who began very sharply with that quick offence leading to simple buckets... but they didn’t bust open a big lead like they should have, leaning way too much on three-pointers. It was also the case that Coach Hurst rotated her line-ups a lot more than she had against Japan and the bench units simply weren’t as effective as those with predominant starters – especially defensively. A 16-point lead early in the 2Q was down to just four at the half, then Philippines actually nudged ahead late in the 3Q.

Aaand then the Tall Ferns locked in with a dominant fourth quarter that belied any fatigue they may have been feeling. The Philippines had some good shooters but they didn’t have the size to challenge the NZers, who won the rebounding stakes by an unreal 66 to 35 margin (including a 31-12 advantage for ORebs). This time it was they who got too trigger-happy from three-point range and those rebounds led to quick attacks from New Zealand. 17 points for Esra McGoldrick and 16 points for Emme Shearer got the job done for a 78-71 victory. Fifth place, that’s the way.

Stats & Reaction

Safe to say that Nat Hurst will be expecting everyone to hit the gym and work on those free throws before the next tour. NZ was the worst team at this Asia Cup for FT% and it was a widespread issue... except for Emme Shearer who shot 82%.

Fascinating to see how much they shared the assists around, reflecting strongly upon that extra passing intent, and even the points were pretty evenly spread. There was clear separation between the starting five that Coach Hurst eventually settled upon and everyone else in terms of minutes played, though ten players got on the court in all five games. And those offensive rebounding numbers are very sweet.

Starting five for the first two games:

Starting five for the last three games:

Pretty simple explanation for the changes there... Dalton and Pizzey earned it through their bench contributions against South Korea and Indonesia. Pizzey brought a bit more passing to the five position as well as a sturdier paint presence, while Dalton’s relentless energy is always a boost to any team. This was the first time that Hurst had worked with either Pizzey or Dalton so that’s probably why they began things playing behind younger and less established options. Tamilo actually ended up playing less than Charlotte Whittaker in four of the five games as well. Again, that’s nothing to do with Tamilo being bad, just Pizzey and Whittaker performing better. Tamilo had a very tidy 4p/10r/2b night against Philippines to finish strongly. Whittaker also got some power forward minutes so there’s that too.

Dalton, Pizzey, and Whittaker all boosted their cases at this tournament, as did Emme Shearer who fluctuated a lot (22pts vs Korea, 16pts vs PHI... and only 16 combined points in the three other games) yet was one of NZ’s best outside shooters and always kept up an infectious intensity. Shearer was second only to Dalton for assists.

But Esra McGoldrick was the team’s MVP. Her tournament went as follows:

10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists in 32 mins vs KOR
18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists in 22 mins vs INA
2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist in 11 mins vs CHN
28 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists in 32 mins vs JPN
17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists in 24 mins vs PHI

That averages out at 15.0 points per game on 45.2 FG% and 42.1 3PT% for McGoldrick. She was the third top scorer at the whole tournament and that number could have been higher had she not been rested for most of the China game (to great effect given how excellent she was in the next two games). Her 28 points against Japan was the highest individual scoring game of the whole tournament. McGoldrick’s always in these Tall Ferns squads, always willing and available, but this time was a little different as she fell into the position of needing to be one of the team’s scoring leaders... she delivered on all that and then some.

Tall Ferns Asia Cup Stat Rankings (out of 8 teams):

Points Per Game - 5th (68.4)
Field Goal Percentage - 5th (38.6)
Three Point Percentage - 5th (32.0)
Free Throw Percentage – 8th (57.6)
Rebounds Per Game - 1st (50.0)
Blocks Per Game - 1st (5.4)
Assists Per Game - 4th (20.0)
Steals Per Game - 5th (7.4)
Turnovers Per Game – 7th (18.8)
Fouls Per Game - 3rd (15.2)

(That’s seventh-best for turnovers, in other words second-most... turnovers being a negative stat, ya dig? Same deal with the fouls where we actually ranked pretty nicely)

Rebounding differentials by game: 0 vs Korea (39-39), +26 vs Indonesia (62-36), -4 vs China (43-47), +4 vs Japan (40-36), +31 vs Philippines (66-35)

Across four tours (including a Tall Ferns Select tour of Japan), Nat Hurst has already worked with 31 different players:

McKenna Dale, Tayla Dalton, Bailey Flavell, Pahlyss Hokianga, Esra McGoldrick, Rebecca Pizzey, Emme Shearer, Ashlee Strawbridge, Ritorya Tamilo, Emma Tofaeono, Charlotte Whittaker, Olivia Williams, Waiata Jennings, Ella Bradley, Ella Brow, Kaylee Smiler, Tylah Hooper, Keriana Hippolite, Tegan Graham, Sharne Robati, Penina Davidson, Ella Fotu, Tera Reed, Lauren Whittaker, Aimee Book, Grace Hunter, Eva Langton, Tara Manumaleuga, Lilly Parke, Lilly Taulelei, Tahlia Tuapea (plus if you want you can add Maia Jones who was a reserve player for the Asia Cup tour)

In other news, Ashlee Strawbridge has just signed with Adelaide Thunder in the Aussie WNBL. Nice gig for the Ashburton native, who’ll see some familiar faces when she turns up for training. The Adelaide Thunder are coached by Kerryn Mitchell who is one of the assistant coaches for the Tall Ferns and Mitchell has already signed two other NZ internationals: Sharne Robati and Ella Tofaeono. So far they’re the only three NZers contracted for WNBL26. The season overlaps with the Tauihi so last year we saw a couple of players do the kiwi season and then join midway through in Aussie while others picked one or the other to focus on fully.

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