Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua • Tauihi 3.00pm • Live on Sky Sport 3 and Sky Sport NZ Tik Tok, ESPN 3 and FIBA YouTube • Tickets here
The defending champs versus the first champions ever in a rematch of last year's grand final. Will the Queens keep their season marching along and stay perfect against the Whai this year or will the Whai stun on the road in semi final for a consecutive season, as they look to become the first back-to-back champ.
Projected starters
Tokomanawa Queens
PG: Kristy Wallace
W: Stella Beck
W: Jihyun Park
C: Penina Davidson
F: Lou Brown
(bench)
W: Brooke Basham
PG: Pahlyss Hokianga
C: Josie Trousdell
Tauranga Whai
PG: Jessica McDowell-White
F: Mikayla Cowling
W: Emme Shearer
F: Laina Snyder (if healthy) → If out: Jade Kirisome
C: Hannah Hank
(bench)
C: Sophia Locandro
W: Tayla Dalton
| Stat | Queens | Whai | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Wallace – 19.9 | Hank – 19.5 | |
| Rebounds | Davidson – 10.4 | Hank – 9.3 | |
| Assists | Wallace – 6.6 | McDowell-White – 6.5 | |
| Steals | Beck– 26 | Hank– 24 | |
| Blocks | Beck– 12 | Cowling/Locandro– 8 | |
| 3P FG% | Rogers– 50% | Snyder– 40% |
Queens 84, Whai 78 (Tauranga, Opening Round)
Queens built a double-digit cushion with perimeter defense before holding off a late Whai surge. Wallace’s orchestration and Davidson’s interior finishing carried the visitors; Hank and Cowling sparked the Whai comeback but foul-line composure sealed it for Queens.
Queens 80, Whai 70 (Tauranga, Nov 1)
A tight three-quarter arm-wrestle flipped when Queens owned the last 10 minutes. Wallace lived at the rim, Brown finished plays, and Davidson won the glass. For the Whai, Snyder and Hank kept it close through 3 quarters, but the final period belonged to Queens at the stripe and on the boards.
Queens 88, Whai 82 (Porirua, Nov 23)
A high-scoring duel where shot-making decided it. Wallace piled up points and assists, Basham gave a punch off the bench, while Brown and Davidson combined to control second-chance chances. Hank (26) and Cowling (23) matched fire with fire to the horn, but the depth of the Queens nudged them home.
Aggregate: Queens 3–0, average margin +7.3.
Point guard: Kristy Wallace vs Jessica McDowell-White
Wallace is the engine: pace, edge, and paint touches off the bounce or with the pass that bend help and open kick-outs for three. When she gets two feet in the lane the, Queens’ offense flows. The first point of attack defensively her combo of size and quickness can pester opposition ball handlers.
McDowell-White balances tempo for Whai while punishing soft coverage with pull-ups and skip and passes to the roller or off the skip. If she keeps vision off the bounce while limiting live-ball turnovers the Whai half-court efficiency climbs. Her push in transition is key to getting early offense and forcing the Queens to burn energy in transition.
Frontcourt: Penina Davidson & Lou Brown vs Hannah Hank and ?
Davidson dominates the defensive glass and punishes switches on deep seals; Brown can stretch to the arc but is dangerous at the elbow, both as a passer and scorer. Their connection is key but their work on the glass is unrelenting. Defensively they tend to stick to the paint, which could be dangerous if the Whai go small.
Hank is the Whai heartbeat - rim runs, duck-ins, put-backs and rips from the elbow have all been on the menu this season. If she wins the free-throw and second-chance battle while staying out of foul trouble, the Whai can flip the possession game that swung toward Queens in all three meetings. If Laina Snyer is healthy the balance of this matchup is much more balanced, but if not Hank will need quality support from Sophia Locandro in the paint.
Wings: Emme Shearer & Mikayla Cowling vs Jihyun Park & Stella Beck
Shearer changes the geometry as a quick-release spacer who can attack high close-outs while Cowling is the two-way connector, rebounding up and initiating early offense. The MC can be a dominant defensive force with her switch-ability but she may need to look for her own number on offense a bit more, especially if Snyder is unavailable
Park gives Queens versatile scoring (pick-and-pop, cuts, and movement threes); Beck is the glue — switchy defense, extra passes, timely boards. Both have good size
The big question: Laina Snyder’s availability
Snyder missed the final two rounds. If she’s back - even on a minutes restriction- Whai’s frontcourt depth and rebounding jump meaningfully. Her mid-post playmaking and weak-side glass are exactly the pressure points Queens have leveraged in this matchup. If she’s out, Whai must protect Hank from foul trouble and squeeze extra minutes from small-ball lineups without getting hurt on the defensive glass.
