The Bay Area Phoenix Advance to Championship Game of the Americas

Posted On November 2, 2024November 2, 2024

The Bay Area Phoenix entered their semifinal game on Friday in Medellin, Colombia with Danielle Robinson unavailable, leaving them dressing eight players in their quest for the championship. Their opponent, Sportiva Italiana of Chile, had a full twelve player lineup, making two changes since the group stage by bringing back veteran Antonia Andaur and also filling a foreign player spot with Dorie Harrison, and their new signings ended up being their second and third leading scorers. The game had further drama when it was delayed briefly in the first half.

The game was close from the start, but the Phoenix led for nearly the entirety of regulation before the opposition forced overtime. They were pushed into another overtime period and had to navigate losing their own leading scorers Rebecca Harris and Ameela Li after they fouled out of the game. Sportiva Italiana’s center Dorie Harrison also fouled out and Jazmine Jackson converted a three-point play to give the Phoenix a 1 point lead that held up for a 94-93 win. Li and Harris each had 20 points with Harris adding 12 rebounds. Mo Bennett grabbed 21 rebounds and continued providing energy until the end. Manuela Rios had a triple-double for Sportiva Italiana, but her efforts were not enough to get her team the win, leaving them fighting for the bronze medal.

Bay Area Phoenix [94]: Rebecca Harris 20/12r Ameela Li 20 Mo Bennett 13/21r Jazmine Jackson 12/10r Mariah Cooks 11/7r Doris Jones 10 Kamilah Jackson 8/7 A 0
Sportiva Italiana [93]: Manuela Rios 37/12r/11a Dorie Harrison 18/19r Antonia Andaur 14 Sofia Antezana 11 Catalina Perez 5 Karla Martinez 3 Andrea Valdes 3 Josefina Cortes 2 Amanda Guineo 0 Martina Cabrera 0 Montserrat Barahona DNP

After that dramatic finish, the Phoenix needed to start thinking about the championship game and could scout their opponent. Union Florida of Argentina had the lead early to try to get at least one team from the southern group into the final, having made one roster change from the group stage. Hosts Antioquia settled into the game, having had their own roster change and built a big enough lead to win 73-59. The defending champions will have a rematch with the Phoenix after a narrow loss to finish the group stage and will certainly be motivated to win it all again in front of the home fans. The Phoenix will have their depth tested, but will also have had the experience of playing this opponent and prevailing. The game will be on FIBA’s YouTube channel at 4pm PDT on Saturday and we will post the link on social media when it is available.