BENGALURU (India) - Sichuan Yuanda Meile swept their way into the FIBA Women's Basketball League Asia 2026 Semi-Finals following a 94-73 blowout of Akari at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Thursday.
The Pandas erupted for 30 points in the second canto to turn a narrow 3-point lead to a 53-33 spread entering the break, and the game would never be in doubt since as they cruised to their second win in as many games.
With this solid follow-up to their 92-70 conquest of Cathay Life on opening day, the league's inaugural champions have clinched the top spot in Group A and will be taking on the 2-seed of Group B in the 'Final Four.'
This result has also allowed the Tigers to secure a ticket to the next round, coming in as the second-best team of the pool with a 1-1 record, with their first win coming at the expense of the Philippine representative as well.
Now, they just wait for the winner between Denso and Cheongju KB in Group B later tonight to determine their foes in the Semi-Finals on Saturday. The Iris and the Stars are currently toting similar 1-0 records.
"The Semi-Finals is gonna be tougher for us. I think today's game helped our team a lot. It helped us to adapt and adjust to the intensity of games," head coach Yang Yi said. "We're excited for the Semi-Finals."
Sara Blicavs continued her fine play and finished with 22 points, spiked by a 3-of-6 clip from beyond the arc, alongside 9 rebounds to lead all scorers.
Ditto with Chennedy Carter, with the WNBA veteran firing 21 points on top of 6 rebounds and 4 steals toward earning Player of the Game honors, as Sichuan leaned on their star combo in dimming the Sparks.
But the locals sure did their part as well, with seasoned forward Gao Song contributing 11 points and 6 rebounds. Su Yingying also chipped in 11 as the quartet headed the balanced attack in the lopsided victory.
"As far as the Semi-Finals is concerned, me and my team are looking forward to it," Carter said. "We have a great coaching staff, a great club that's gonna get us prepared and ready. I'm excited to play on the next day."
Saicha Grant-Allen led Akari with 22 points and 9 rebounds as they remained in search of a win in their maiden WBL Asia campaign.
Stefanie Berberabe made 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jhazmin Joson had 11 points while Bre'Amber Scott added 10 for the Sparks, who actually took a 16-14 lead early until the opposition caught its rhythm.
Akari will try to finish their tournament on a high note when they take on the Indian Railways in the Classification 5-6 preceding the Semi-Finals on Saturday in a battle of teams eyeing to avoid a winless campaign.
FIBA