Round Five continues in Dunedin on Saturday night as competition leaders Southern Hoiho welcome defending champions The Northern Group Tauranga Whai to the Edgar Centre.
The matchup brings together two teams separated by just one win on the ladder as they come into the contest having won seven of eight games collectively.
Hoiho have responded to their opening-night loss with four straight victories, most recently claiming an impressive road win over Mainland Pouākai in Christchurch to take sole possession of the top rung of the ladder.
Lil Dart continued her outstanding season as their leadings scorer, Julie Wojta delivered a double double, and Paige Bradley once again controlled the offence as she swapped between her scoring and facilitating roles.
Whai, meanwhile, saw a three-game winning run snapped in dramatic fashion on the road in the second leg of their weekend double.
The defending champions led by one in the final moments before Erin Bollmann converted two free throws to give Kāhu a slender one point victory. Emme Shearer continued her scoring tear, Laina Snyder collected another double-double while they again received strong production across their starting group despite suffering defeat.
Saturday is a rematch of one of the most physical games of the opening rounds,when the Hoiho claimed the opener of the season in Tauranga, holding Whai to their lowest offensive output of the season.
Whai get an opportunity to return the favour on their opponents homecourt, this time against a Hoiho team carrying the league’s longest winning streak.
Can Hoiho make it five straight and tighten their grip on top spot, or will the defending champions respond and square the season series to move into a virtual tie atop the ladder.
When: Saturday 24 October
Where: Edgar Centre, Dunedin
Rapid League: 6:30pm
Tauihi: 7:30pm
Watch Live: Sky Sport 7 in New Zealand, ESPN+ in the United States and FIBA YouTube everywhere else internationally
Commentary: Glen Larmar and Tera Reed
Box Score Here
Buy Tickets Here
Hoiho will look to begin with Julie Wojta, Marie Bertholdt, Bec Pizzey, Lil Dart and Paige Bradley as their starting five.
Alexa Duff, Kiana Brown, Tia Pavihi, Samara Gallaher, Millie Simpson, Abby Harris and Zoe Richards make up the Rapid League group.
Whai will start Emme Shearer, Laina Snyder, Ashlee Strawbridge, Nicolette Gilday and Patricia Brossmann, with their expected starting group available.
Eva Langton, Carla Pitman, Carly Ohia, Sophie Rogers, Emilee Tahata, Charis Broughton and Shamar Broughton make up the Rapid League group.
Hoiho claimed the first meeting 67-59 in Tauranga after producing one of their best defensive performances of the season.
Whai generated opportunities through their pressure and scored 17 points from turnovers, but the Southerners were able to keep their composure and find contributions throughout game thanks in large part to the starting group.
Bec Pizzey was flawless from the field, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting.
Bradley added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Wojta produced 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Whai stayed within striking distance behind a strong performances from their interior duo of Snyder, who finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals, and Brossmann who added 14 points and 10 rebounds, but Hoiho were able to close out the fourth quarter and secure the eight-point victory.
Leading Players
Whai: Laina Snyder (18P, 14R, 4A, 4S), Patricia Brossmann (14P, 10R, 2A, 2S), Emme Shearer (11P, 3R)
Hoiho: Bec Pizzey (15P, 6R, 6/6 FG), Paige Bradley (14P, 5R, 5A), Julie Wojta (13P, 7R, 4A, 4S)
Hoiho made it four consecutive victories with an impressive road win over Pouākai in Christchurch.
Mainland started strongly behind Morgan Yaeger, but Hoiho responded with a 23-13 second quarter to take a six-point advantage into halftime.
Pouākai fought back in the third and the teams continued to trade momentum deep into the fourth quarter.
Dart delivered key baskets down the stretch to keep Hoiho ahead before Wojta converted two free throws with nine seconds remaining to push the margin to five.
Southern closed it out from there to move to 4-1 and take sole possession of first place.
Dart finished with 21 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals, while Wojta produced a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Bradley added 17 points, six rebounds and six assists as she continued a stellar season steering the Hoiho offence.
Leading Players
Hoiho: Lil Dart (21P, 5R, 7A, 3S, 1B), Julie Wojta (19P, 11R, 2A), Paige Bradley (17P, 6R, 6A, 2S, 1B)
Pouākai: McKenna Dale (17P, 11R, 6A), Mikayla Vaughn (15P, 7R, 3A), Morgan Yaeger (12P, 7R, 6A)
Whai came within seconds of leaving Auckland with their fourth win before Kāhu produced a dramatic finish at Trusts Arena.
Shearer and Snyder helped Whai build a 12-point halftime advantage, but Kāhu exploded for 33 points in the third quarter to turn the game around.
The teams traded the lead throughout the fourth before Whai moved one point ahead in the closing moments.
Bollmann then attacked the basket, drew the foul and converted both free throws to give Kāhu an 85-84 advantage.
Whai were unable to get the ball back into play in the final seconds and Northern completed the comeback.
Shearer led Whai with 25 points and six rebounds, Snyder added 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Gilday finished with 12 points and six assists.
Leading Players
Whai: Emme Shearer (25P, 6R, 3A), Laina Snyder (21P, 10R, 5A, 2S), Nicolette Gilday (12P, 3R, 6A)
Kāhu: Talya Brugler (20P, 4R), Megan Mullings (17P, 11R, 4A, 2S), Erin Bollmann (15P, 7R, 3A, 4S, 1B)
This was the key storyline of the first meeting.
Whai average 78.0 points per game, third in Tauihi, while shooting 44 percent from the field and a league-best 36 percent from three.
Against the Hoiho in the season opener they scored just 59.
Southern enter the rematch with the best scoring defence in Tauihi, allowing only 73.6 points per game.
They have become increasingly more difficult to play against as the season progress's, combining pressure on the perimeter with size and versatility across their frontcourt.
Whai have more than enough offensive weapons to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Shearer averages 21.4 points, Snyder 16.2 and Brossmann 11.0, while Gilday and Pitman are both capable of creating offence at a high level when the have the ball in hand.
But all those weapons were on tap the first time around. Have the Whai shaken off their opening night rust? Or will the Hoiho continue to tighten the clamps on any offence that gets in their way?
Southern’s four-game winning streak has been built on the collective as opposed to just one player.
Dart leads the scoring at 18.2 points per game, Bradley averages 15.2, Bec Pizzey 13.0 and Bertholdt 12.2.
Wojta adds 10.4 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
That balance makes Hoiho difficult to scheme against.
Whai are more heavily driven by their leading duo.
Shearer and Snyder combine for 37.6 points per game, with Shearer providing perimeter firepower and Snyder giving Whai one of the competition’s most complete interior threats.
If Hoiho can make those two work for every touch, the pressure shifts onto the rest of the Whai rotation to keep pace.
Bradley continues to be one of the league defining players this season.
Averaging 15.2 points and a league-leading 9.2 assists while also producing three steals per game her ability to orchestrate every aspect of the offence has become particularly important late in close games.
Whai will need to prevent Bradley from walking the ball into her preferred actions.
Gilday, who averages five assists herself, will be central to that task but it will take a village to keep the Hoiho PG down.
If Whai can apply pressure without allowing Bradley to turn the corner and create rotations, they can make Hoiho work much harder in the half court, but if the star pg gets going downhill she'll have her choice of options to punish the Whai D.
Hoiho lead Tauihi with 12.8 steals per game and have a competition-best +5.0 turnover margin.
Those numbers are especially relevant against a Whai squad who average 16.2 turnovers per game and sit at -4.8 in turnover margin.
The gap is significant and indicates that Southern do not need to dominate the glass if they generate extra opportunities through pressure.
Whai will need to make Hoiho defend.
Protecting the basketball, making the simple pass and avoiding live-ball turnovers will be essential to cracking a defence that has proven difficult to score on all season long.
The stats show a clear advantage for the Whai on the glass.
They average 39.2 rebounds and carry a +3.8 rebounding margin.
Hoiho sit at 37.8 rebounds per game and have been outrebounded by 4.2 per contest.
Snyder leads Tauihi at 11.8 rebounds per game, while Brossmann adds 7.4.
But Hoiho showed in Christchurch that the numbers may be starting to add up in their favour. They pulled down 44 rebounds against Pouākai, including 13 offensive boards, against the competition’s best rebounding team.
If Wojta, Pizzey and Bertholdt can compete with Snyder and Brossmann on the glass, it removes one of Whai’s clearest advantages, giving the Hoiho an even better chance to stay atop the ladder.
the two point guards are charged with organising talented groups.
Bradley leads Tauihi at 9.2 assists per game and has increased her scoring output to 15.2, while Gilday averages 9.8 points to go with five assists and is coming off a six-assist performance against Kāhu.
Bradley will look to manipulate the defence and create quality looks for Hoiho’s balanced starting five.
Gilday needs to keep Whai organised while limiting the transition opportunities created by turnovers.
Two of the competition’s premier scorers meet in Dunedin.
Dart averages 18.2 points and is coming off 21 against Pouākai.
Shearer sits at 21.4 points and has scored 22 or more in three of her last four appearances.
Both can change the game quickly.
Dart thrives attacking gaps and creating pressure off the dribble, while Shearer remains one of Tauihi’s most dangerous three-level scorers.
Snyder remains one of the toughest individual matchups in the league.
She is averaging 16.2 points, a competition-leading 11.8 rebounds and four assists.
Wojta is coming off her best game of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds against Pouākai.
Her versatility gives Hoiho an important option against Snyder, both defensively and in making her work at the other end.
Pizzey was the difference-maker in the first meeting, scoring 15 points without missing a shot.
She enters the rematch shooting 70 percent from the field for the season.
Brossmann provides Whai with physicality, rebounding and another player capable of punishing mismatches inside, and she has been excellent in that roll of late. She averages 11.0 points and 7.4 rebounds and produced a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double against Hoiho in the first matchup.
If Pizzey finds the same efficency as the initial matchup a Hoiho victory will be easier to achieve. but if Brossman can control the paint while impose her physicality the Whai will have a great chance to avenge an earlier season loss.
| Category | Hoiho | Whai |
|---|---|---|
| Points | Lil Dart, 18.2 | Emme Shearer, 21.4 |
| Rebounds | Julie Wojta, 7.0 | Laina Snyder, 11.8 |
| Assists | Paige Bradley, 9.2 | Nicci Gilday, 5.0 |
| Steals | Paige Bradley, 3.0 | Laina Snyder, 2.4 |
| Blocks | Dart/Pizzey/Wojta, 1.0 | Shearer/Snyder, 0.8 |
| FG% | Bec Pizzey, 70% | Carla Pitman, 50% |
| 3P% | Bec Pizzey, 43% | Ashlee Strawbridge, 55% |
| 3PM | Lil Dart, 2.6 pg | Emme Shearer, 2.6 pg |
| Category | Hoiho | Whai |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 4-1 | 3-2 |
| Points | 78.2, 2nd | 78.0, 3rd |
| Points Allowed | 73.6, 1st | 73.8, 2nd |
| Scoring Margin | +4.6, 2nd | +4.2, 3rd |
| FG% | 42%, 3rd | 44%, 2nd |
| Defensive FG% | 41%, 3rd | 41%, 1st |
| 3P% | 28%, 4th | 36%, 1st |
| Defensive 3PFG% | 33%, 3rd | 24%, 1st |
| FT% | 79%, 1st | 77%, 2nd |
| Rebounding Margin | -4.2, 4th | +3.8, 2nd |
| Assists | 22.8, 1st | 20.4, 3rd |
| Turnover Margin | +5.0, 1st | -4.8, 5th |
| Steals | 12.8, 1st | 8.0, 4th |
| Blocks | 4.4, 1st | 3.4, 2nd |
The numbers underline just how evenly matched these teams are in several areas.
Only 0.2 points separate them offensively and just 0.2 points separate their scoring defence.
The biggest differences come in how they create possessions.
Whai hold the advantage on the glass and shoot the three at a much higher percentage.
Hoiho lead the competition in assists, steals and turnover margin.
That battle between Whai’s efficiency and rebounding against Hoiho’s ball movement and pressure could determine the result.
Hoiho edged Whai 34-32 in Tauranga in a game that remained in the balance until the closing stages.
Alexa Duff led Southern with 12 points and knocked down four three-pointers, while Zoe Richards added nine points and Tia Pavihi scored eight.
Eva Langton led Whai with 13 points, four rebounds and two steals, while Carla Pitman added seven points and four boards.
The rematch arrives with both teams looking to improve their position.
Whai sit at 2-3 and average 29.0 points per game, second in Rapid League.
Hoiho are 1-4 and average 24.4 points, fifth.
Defensively, Whai allow 32.2 points per game while Hoiho concede 32.8.
Langton remains Whai’s leading Rapid scorer at 7.8 points per game and is shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from three.
Duff leads Hoiho at 7.8 points, while Richards is averaging 6.3.
The first meeting was decided by two points and there is little to suggest the second will be much different.
The first meeting showed how difficult Hoiho can make life for Whai.
The defending champions tallied only 59 points, their lowest total of the season, and Southern used their defensive pressure and balance to control the game.
Since then, Hoiho have kept winning.
Four consecutive victories have carried them to the top of the standings, with different players stepping forward each week.
Whai remain only one game behind.
Shearer continues to score at an elite level, Snyder remains the league’s best rebounder and their starting five has enough experience and quality to beat anyone.
But Saturday’s challenge is clear.
Whai have to handle Hoiho’s pressure better than they did in the first meeting and prevent Bradley and Dart from dictating the game.
Hoiho, meanwhile, need to compete on the glass and make Whai defend for long stretches.
The margin between these teams is small, the consequences at the top of the table could be big.
