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HCC Sports Information
Saturday, August 9, 2008
BEIJING – Former Hutchinson
Community College basketball player Natalie Purcell scored five points as
team New Zealand opened the 2008 Summer Olympics women’s basketball
preliminary round with a 76-72 victory over Mali on Saturday (late Friday
Hutchinson time).
Purcell is the first female
HCC athlete to compete in the Olympics and first Blue Dragon since Steve
Fritz in 1996.
In the Group B opener,
Purcell played 20 minutes, 20 seconds and scored five points, including one
3-point goal. She also had six rebounds and steal. Purcell’s sister,
Charmian, had two points and two rebounds in 10 minutes.
New Zealand led 42-33 at
halftime, but struggled at time in the second half offensively. Still
leading by four points after three quarters, New Zealand trailed 69-66, but
got a 3-pointer to tie the game from Kate McKeeken-Ruscoe with 2:08 to play.
Tied again at 71-all,
McKeeken-Ruscoe drilled another 3-pointer with 1:12 to play to give New
Zealand the lead for good.
New Zealand was 5 of 19 from
3-point range, to just 2 of 4 for Mali.
Angela Marino scored 19
points, hitting 11 of 12 free throws to lead New Zealand.
Purcell and the New Zealand
national team will next be in action on Sunday against European power Spain.
Game time will be at 8 p.m. Hutchinson time.
New Zealand’s Women’s Basketball Team’s
Olympic Schedule
(Times will be Hutchinson time)
Game 1 – Mali
W, 76-72
(Boxscore)
Game 2 – Spain
L, 85-62
(Boxscore)
Game 3 – China
L, 80-63
(Boxscore)
Game 4 – Czech Republic
L, 90-59
(Boxscore)
Game 5 – United States Sunday, August 17 9:15
a.m. |
