The halfway point of the regular season was reached on Saturday with another full day of games. More signings of new and returning players were announced before the action started. This week will also be a busy one for the league with the documentary about their Americas tournament set to be released and another round of games being played on Sunday.
Phoenix 93 Wolves 89
The first game was the most matchup of the day between the two remaining undefeated teams. The Wolves were shorthanded, but were able to welcome IImar’I Thomas back to the team after her season in Mexico finished and she teamed up with Rebecca Harris again. The Phoenix led for most of the game, but had to battle late to secure the win behind Delia Moore and Charity Gallegos. Bay Area native Khalis Cain started her rookie season in the win after being away during her school career, including playing at UNC Greensboro in college.
Phoenix: Moore 24/7/8a Gallegos 21/8a McCall 14/12r Michelis 10/7 Garrett 10 Tameilau 6 Choice 5 Cain 3 Cedeno 0
Wolves: Harris 29/12r Thomas 24/7r Parnell 15 Huggins 13/7r Glass 8 Hall 0
Royals 79 Titans 77
The next game also ended up being an excellent encounter as the Titans were looking for their first win of the season, but a good game from Destiny Jackson was not enough late as they fell 79-77. Salimatou Kourouma was fantastic again for the Royals, which also got a debut from Northern California native Keyora Wharry who has past overseas experience. Nishalina Buksh moved to the Titans this week in time for this game.
Royals: Kourouma 21/10 Doumbia 18/11r Mizukawa 12 Guinn 9/8r Stephens 8/6r Hart 6 Young 3 Haynes 2 Newell 0 Wharry 0
Titans: Jackson 24 Ojide Boiko 14/9r Huffhines 14 Pointer 13/7r Donnelly 6 Duckett 6 Arnoldi 0 Buksh 0 Arnoldi 0 Stanton 0 Richter 0
Reign 76 Riptide 53
The Reign were also looking for their first win of the season in the next game and took control early to get the 76-53 victory over the Riptide. Daeja Smith, who has past overseas experience, debuted in the loss. The result could be critical at the end of the season when the playoff spots are decided.
Reign: San Juan 14 Samuel 13/6r Primm 12/10r Bennett 11/9r McNair 9 Jackson 8 Hoyem 5 Monteleone 4 Yniguez 0
Riptide: Linzie 15 Cooper 13 Armendariz 10/8r Smith 9/9r Criner 4 Durham 2 Kong 0 Aubry 0
Blaze 100 Swish 80
The final game of the day was between teams with the same record, but the Blaze were able to roll to a 100-80 win behind the inside-outside combination of Reshanda Gray and Ameela Li. Player availability will always be a factor over the course of the season, but the Blaze look to be headed back toward championship contention while the Swish will be trying to stay in contact with the top half of the standings during the second half of the schedule.
Blaze: Gray 35/16r Li 20/9r/11a Randhawa 17/9r/6a Mauricio 10 Ennis 8 Moore 5 Demetre 4
Swish: Lewis 16 Shelley 16 Avent 10 Holland 9 Jones 9 Guidry Brown 8/11r Berry 8 Clark 4 Cash 0
Standings:
The league uses a unique system for their standings, awarding points for winning quarters as well as games. As a result, games stay competitive until the end even if one team is winning easily.
1. Phoenix 23.5
2. Blaze 22.0
3. Wolves 17.5
4. Royals 17.0
5. Swish 13.0
6. Reign 9.0
7. Riptide 6.5
8. Titans 4.5
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