The Women’s Premier Basketball Association played in the championship game of the tournament to crown the club champion of the entire Americas on Sunday. They had reached this stage in the last version of this event two years ago and were trying to go further while also avenging their only defeat this year. The Bay Area Phoenix were ready to face Sportiva Italiana one more time after all of the other teams finished their placement games.
The lineup was settled after recent games and it was a fantastic start for the Phoenix as they opened on a 14-0 run. Sportiva Italiana did work their way back into the game, but still trailed 21-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Phoenix maintained their advantage in the second quarter even as the opposition briefly trimmed the margin to six points, finishing strong for a 44-31 lead at the break. They threatened to put the game away early, pushing the lead up more, but Sportiva Italiana was able to keep things from getting away and the margin was 65-52 heading into the final quarter.
The Chilean club was led by players with significant high-level international experience in Jessica Jackson and Sierra Moore while Andrea Daley had an impressive scoring record to start her professional career. They went on a 15-0 spurt in the first three minutes of the quarter to suddenly take the lead. The Phoenix tied the score back as the game went back and forth. They then made the big plays in the final few minutes, finding all kinds of ways to score and then knocking down free throws when it mattered, earning the 87-82 win as all five starters ended up scoring in double figures.
It was quite a turnaround for the team after getting blown out on Wednesday. It was an incredible story overall after the league had a lot of late work to do to make sure that a strong team could be fielded for this event. They played against teams with established players and cores with existing chemistry still finding a way to get further than last time and be crowned champions of the entire Americas. With FIBA looking to one day be able to hold a tournament with the club champions of all four confederations, this is a big step in terms of international recognition and future potential for the league.
https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/womens-basketball-league-americas-2026/games/136945-BAP-SSI#boxscore
Bay Area Phoenix [87]: Rosemarie Julien 18/6r Connie Clarke 16 DeAngelique Waithe 15/6r Aniya McDonald-Perry 11/6r Alaiyah San Juan 11 Miyu Mizukawa 9 Isabel Gonzalez 3 Kharyssa Richardson 2 Faatimah A 2
Sportiva Italiana [82]: Jessica Jackson 24/7r Andrea Daley 22/18r Sierra Moore 16/13r Thaire Garcia 8 Carolina Abarca 4 Valentina Ojeda 4 Renata Diaz 3 Josefina Viafora 1 Anisa Jeffries DNP Paula Ortiz DNP Martina Cabrera DNP Estefania Astudillo DNP
Leave a Reply