Happy New Year! We are back in action with six of our New York Liberty players continuing their competition into the New Year!
Essence Carson dominated, with her team winning back-to-back games and she was able to contribute on the both ends of the court. Carolyn Swords, Tina Charles, Rebecca Allen and Avery Warley-Talbert all posted double-doubles to help their teams clinch wins to boost them up in standings. Most international squads are getting deeper into their schedules and this can be a pivotal moment for them to move up or drop down in their rankings. Liberty players continue to be factors for their teams as they head down the stretch and eventually open postseason play.
ESSENCE CARSON #32 – Canik BLD
7-6 (6th in KBSL)
Recent Results
Dec. 30: 93-76 W (10 pts, 4 reb, 3 stl, 29 min)
Jan. 3: 79-76 W (18 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 31 min)
Seventh ranked Canik BLD beat 13th ranked Orduspor behind a strong defensive effort. Essence Carson was one of five players who scored in double figures for Canik BLD, which was very unselfish on the offensive dishing out 25 assists as a team. Carson was efficient on the offensive end, dropping 18 points while going 6-of-9 from the field, and 2-of-5 from behind the arc while grabbing five rebounds. Canik BLD has now won three games in a row, and moves up to 6th place which they share with Istanbul Univ.
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #32 ESSENCE CARSON | 12 | 25.8 | 110 | 44 | 40.0 | 5 | 28 | 17.9 | 21 | 25 | 84.0 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 10.3 |
CAROLYN SWORDS – Sydney Uni Flames
11-5 (2nd in WNBL)
Recent Results:
Jan. 2: 86-78 W (16 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, 21 min)
The second ranked Sydney Uni Flames won a home game against the seventh ranked Boomers. The Flames trailed by eight after the first period but then turned the tables to take control and eventually secure an eight-point win. Carolyn Swords was impressive, bringing in another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds! She went 7-for-7 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line. The Sydney Uni Flames are also on a solid three-game winning streak so they will keep a position as a league leader in second place which they share with Perth and Townsville. In the next round they will face Dandenong Rangers who are ranked fifth.
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #32 CAROLYN SWORDS | 11 | 20.5 | 81 | 55 | 67.9 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 36 | 47 | 76.6 | 6.4 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 13.3 |
TINA CHARLES #31- Xinjiang
15-1 ( 1st in Top 6 WCBA)
3-2 (WCBA Stage 3)
Recent Results:
Dec. 26:78-84 L (17 pts, 15 reb, 2 ast, 33 min)
Dec. 29: 87-81 W (30 pts, 13 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 40 min)
Jan. 2: 101-93 W (22 pts, 14 reb, 5 ast, 40 min)
In the third stage, round 3 Xinjiang faced Shanghai in the first game and they were not able to pick up the victory, Tina Charles scored 17 points to assist the team but it was not enough. Xinjiang dominated down low during the second game against Shanghai, scoring 64 of its 87 points in the paint compared to Shanghai’s 38. Charles helped to win the game by recording a double-double with 30 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. In the third stage, round 5 Xinjiang faced Guangdong where they trailed by two points after three quarters before closing with a 28-18 charge, which allowed them to win the game. The team made 18-22 (81.8%) free throws. Charles dropped another double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds in 40 minutes of play.
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #31 TINA CHARLES | 16 | 310 | 164 | 52.9 | 4 | 10 | 40.0 | 88 | 113 | 77.9 | 10.9 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 26.8 |
Rebecca Allen #9- SEQ
8-8 (6th in WNBL)
Recent Results:
Jan. 2: 66-72 L (15 pts, 12 rebs, 2 stl, 28 min)
It looked good early for SEQ as it took a 5-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Dandenong Rangers had a 26-12 second period charge to turn the tables and they were able to hand onto the lead. Strangely SEQ outrebounded the Rangers 46-32 including a 18-4 advantage on the offensive boards. Rebecca Allen chipped in a double-double for the team scoring 15 points and 12 rebounds. She has scored 15 points in back-to-back games and is now averaging 6.8 ppg with 5.2 rpg since returning from injury With the loss, SEQ dropped down to sixth place in the WNBL standings.
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #9 Rebecca Allen | 6 | 19.8 | 30 | 10 | 33.3 | 6 | 21 | 28.6 | 3 | 4 | 75.0 | 5.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 6.8 |
Kiah Stokes #41- Samsung Life Blue Minx
8-10 (5th in WKBL)
Recent Results:
Dec. 31: 58-57 W (5 pts, 10 reb, 1 stl, 16 min)
After a phenomenal week for Kiah Stokes and Samsung Life Blue Minx in Round 16, they continued the winning streak and edged out a victory by 1 point against KB Stars. Heading into the week, she was named the WKBL Player of the Week after leading her team to an overtime win with 19 points and 17 rebounds last week. Stokes scored just 5 points in the win over the KS Stars, but she was aggressive on the rebounding end with grabbing 10 boards. In Round 18 they will face Hanabank who is ranked second.
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #41 Kiah Stokes | 18 | 25.4 | 131 | 73 | 55.7 | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 26 | 53 | 49.1 | 9.7 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 10.1 |
Avery Warley-Talbert #23- Botas
6-7 (8th in KBSL)
Recent Results:
Dec. 30: 76-59 W (15 pts, 13 reb, 1 ast, 28 min)
Jan. 2: 85-75 W (16 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, 33 min)
Botas has been surging up the KBSL standings, having now won five of its last six games and Avery Warley-Talbert is a big reason why, as she ranks second on the team in scoring with 14.3 ppg and leads her squad with 9.8 rebounds per game. In last week’s 76-59 win over Yakin Dogu, Warley-Talbert finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds in 28 minutes, shooting 6-for-12 from the field. Three days later, Botas picked up its third-straight win, beating Adana ASKI 85-75. It meant another double-double for Warley-Talbert, who scored 16 points with 11 rebounds. For the week, she averaged 15.5 points, 12.0 rebounds per game, as Botas has climbed into eighth place in the league table. Up next for Botas, it is fourth-ranked Hatay on Saturday.
| GM | MIN | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3FG | 3FGA | 3FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
| #23 Avery Warley-Talbert | 13 | 29.5 | 133 | 76 | 57.1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 34 | 53 | 64.2 | 9.8 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 14.3 |