BENGALURU (India) – There is little that Allana Lim has not experienced in Philippine women’s basketball.
From winning UAAP championships with Far Eastern University – in 2008 and 2011, capping the latter with Finals MVP honors – to representing Gilas Pilipinas Women internationally and playing professionally overseas, Lim has spent much of her career at the highest levels available to her.
Now, at 37, she arrives in Bengaluru as one of the veteran pillars of Akari Sparks – and as a player who knows exactly what it takes to win.
That experience proved invaluable in 2026.
The Sparks captured their first Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League title in July, defeating defending champions Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire 73-59 in a decisive Game 3.
Lim scored 19 points in the championship-clinching victory, helping the Sparks close out the series with a 12-2 run after the Valkyries had threatened to make a comeback.
It was the culmination of an impressive campaign for Lim, who repeatedly provided Akari with a steady presence at both ends of the floor.
Earlier in the season, she erupted for 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting, adding 7 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block as Akari defeated Batangas-New Zealand 74-58 to avenge their only loss of the elimination round.
She was just as influential in the regular-season race. Lim posted 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists as the Sparks defeated Pasig, 88-51, to finish with a league-best 9-1 record and claim the top seed.
For Lim, however, the championship represented more than another entry on an already impressive résumé.
It gave Akari the opportunity to step onto a bigger stage.
The Philippine champions now make their FIBA WBL Asia debut against some of the best club teams in the region, with little time to ease into the challenge. For a team accustomed to competing at home, Bengaluru offers a chance to discover just how far it can go beyond the Philippines.
And with Lim in the lineup, the Sparks have a player who has spent nearly two decades learning what it takes to compete when the stakes are highest.
Now, Asia gets a glimpse of a vintage Lim – a veteran still capable of making her presence felt on the biggest stages.
And with the Philippines set to host the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup for the first time next year, there could be no better stage for one of the country’s seasoned stars to showcase the depth and quality of Filipino women’s basketball.
FIBA