The Women’s Premier Basketball Association’s team took the court under the Bay Area Phoenix banner on Wednesday to try to become club champions of the entire Americas this week in Santiago, Chile having also played in this tournament two years ago. They faced Araraquara from Brazil, a team that had won three of the past four national championships there. It was a close game throughout, but they were able to overcome several deficits to get the 72-69 win and the excellent start to the tournament.
Faatimah A started alongside Alaiyah San Juan, Rosemarie Julien, Connie Clarke, and Kharyssa Richardson. Araraquara had the advantage of playing on the court the day before and greater time with one another in recent months, so it was a little tough for the Phoenix to get into rhythm quickly and they trailed after the first quarter. There had been stretches in that period where they looked to be settling in and they were strong in the second quarter, tying the score back up after four minutes and then taking the lead for the first time at the halfway mark. The advantage went back and forth after that before the teams traded baskets late, leaving the Phoenix up by a point at the break.
The third quarter ended up being more of a defensive battle as neither team scored much early. The Phoenix had a two-possession lead again, but it was brief as Araraquara had an 11-2 run late in the quarter to hold the edge heading into the final frame. It was a better start as the Phoenix tied the score in the first couple minutes and then took the lead to force a timeout. They extended the advantage and looked to be in position to push it further, but Araraquara fought back again, taking the lead back late. The Phoenix clamped down on defense, getting a free throw and layup to tie the score. With the clock running down, it was Connie Clarke again with the big basket and the free throw as they held on for the 72-69 win. Aniya Mc-Donald Perry led the team in scoring off of the bench with 15 points.
It was a big win for the Phoenix, but they have no time to dwell on it with their other group stage game coming against Sportiva Italiana on Thursday. The Chilean team also defeated Araraquara, doing so by a much bigger margin. Whichever team wins this matchup gets a bye to the semifinals as a result of finishing in first place in the group. For a team on the schedule that the Phoenix drew, this is an even bigger deal as it avoids the possibility of having to play five games in five days.
https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/womens-basketball-league-americas-2026/games/136940-BAP-SAB#boxscore
Bay Area Phoenix [72]: Aniya McDonald-Perry 15 Kharyssa Richardson 13/7r DeAngelique Waithe 12 Connie Clarke 11/6s Rosemarie Julien 6 Faatimah A 5 Miyu Mizukawa 5 Alaiyah San Juan 3 Isabel Gonzalez 2
Araraquara [69]: Aline Moura 22/9r Maisa Marcal 19 Juliana Souza 11/6r Mikaelly Freitas 6 Evelyn Mariano 4 Lauren Isaias 4 Debora Costa 3 Isabelle Koerich 0 Pietra Pagioli 0 Tayna Batista DNP Alexandra Vernizzi DNP Beatriz Biscuola.
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