Phoenix extend dominance over Ignites
Khomas Basketball Association (KBA) women’s premier league leaders University of Namibia (Unam) Phoenix once again proved too strong for winless Unam Ignites, beating them 76-16 in the recent round.
Played at their home court, the Unam Gym Hall in Windhoek, the encounter saw Phoenix completely disrupt Ignites’ offence, forcing 93 turnovers, recording 66 steals and scoring 58 points from turnovers.
Phoenix effectively wrapped up the match by halftime, winning the first quarter 16-5 before shutting Ignites out 28-0 in the second to take a commanding 44-5 lead into the break.
They continued their dominance in the third quarter, outscoring Ignites 23-9, before closing the contest with a 9-2 fourth quarter.
Phoenix led for 39:28 of the 40 minutes, with their biggest lead reaching 62 points. Their biggest scoring run was a 35-point unanswered burst, which helped them take full control of the game’s tempo and rhythm against an Ignites side that never led.
The winners’ best weapon was their ability to turn mistakes into easy scores, as their defence directly fed their offence. Phoenix finished with 32 fast-break points and 26 fast-break points from turnovers.
They also dominated the paint, outscoring Ignites 62-10 inside by repeatedly getting to the rim, scoring in transition and finishing close to the basket. Their bench also made a strong contribution, outscoring Ignites’ reserves 31-0.
Ignites’ bright spark
Ignites’ brightest spark was winning the rebounding battle 63-44, including 48 defensive rebounds to Phoenix’s 19. However, this was partly because Phoenix missed many shots and created several rebounding opportunities.
For all their work on the glass, and despite adding 22 steals and four blocks, Ignites could not turn those rebounds into offence as they kept giving the ball back through turnovers.
Phoenix were led by Ashley Linda (#8), who stepped into a bigger leadership role in the absence of captain Anna Iimene.
Linda was the side’s standout performer on the day, finishing with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and a remarkable 15 steals, while posting a game-high +39 and an efficiency rating of 27.
Reflecting on the performance, Linda admitted that stepping into the captaincy in her first game after returning from Zimbabwe was not something she expected.
“I have just returned from playing in Zimbabwe. I did not perform quite well because I was still adjusting [to this style of play and acclimatising to the drier conditions]. Taking leadership without Anna was [rather odd], but it was okay,” she noted.
Still room to improve
Linda welcomed their second win over Ignites, after beating them 82-23 in their first encounter in March, but said there is still room for improvement on both offence and defence.
“We had a few players who carried our offence, like Jo-anna [Shimanya #5], who provided 12 points and [two of our three] three-pointers off the bench.
“Defensively, we struggled to master our new style and gave Ignites too many open shots, but stepped up in the last quarter,” she noted.
Linda said the victory gave the players confidence while also helping them identify cracks in their defence to work on going forward.
Diandra Fossi (#22) was Phoenix’s all-round performer, contributing a game-high 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and nine steals. Her influence on both ends of the floor saw her post a +37.
Ignites’ top scorer and most active player was Fransina Festus (#7), who finished with eight points, 13 rebounds and seven steals.
Kachana Gaingos (#15) had Ignites’ best rebounding line with 17 boards, including six offensive rebounds, complemented by four points, four steals and two blocks.
The victory sees Phoenix remain top with 11 points after six matches, followed by Ongos Shooting Stars with nine points after five matches and Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) Dodgers in third with eight points from six matches.
Other standings
The men’s premier league has completed its first-leg matches and did not feature in the round.
Quality Basketball Club (QBC) top the standings despite being level on 11 points with Unam Wolves after six matches. QBC lead on head-to-head advantage, having beaten Wolves 83-72 in March.
The first division is led by Unam Wolves II on 17 points after nine matches, followed by Unam Cadets on 15 points after eight matches and Team Allies on 14 points after eight matches.
