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After slow start, Canada rolls against Cuba in the second game of FIBA Women’s AmeriCup Tournament

~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

It took a while for Team Canada to get going, but they were able to shake off Cuba to improve to 2-0 in group play. They started off slowly and only led by 1 point going into the second quarter. They only led by 8 at halftime. Canada only shot 37% in the first half and Cuba was efficient from the three point arc which led to a close game in the first half. Canada’s defense was poor in the first half.

The second half was a different story. In the third quarter, Canada was able to correct some of their mistakes and were able to pull away midway through the third quarter and never looked back as the final score was 87-51. Four players were in double figures in this game. Kayla Alexander continued her strong play and finished with her second double double with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Sami Hill also was a key component to help Canada when they were struggling through the first 3 1/2 quarters of the game. She was able to draw fouls and get to the FT line to help Canada’s offense when it was struggling. Four players finished in double figures. It was not pretty at the start but Canada finished strong.

They now face Puerto Rico tomorrow night at 8 pm EST. Canada looks to go 3-0 in Group A against the host country. It will not be an easy feat for Canada since this will be their third game in three days and the host country will not go down easily. The game will be available to watch on DAZN in Canada and on ESPN+ for America.

Canadian Senior Women’s National Team preview for FIBA AmeriCup Tournament

~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

The Canadian Senior Women’s National Team’s quest to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics starts tomorrow at the FIBA AmeriCup Tournament which is being held in Puerto Rico. This tournament is one of two qualifying tournaments that take place to qualify countries for the Olympics.

This tournament lasts for one week and a top 8 finish qualifies Canada for the next Olympic qualifying tournament which will take place in November. Canada is the defending champion in this tournament and will look to defend their title against fellow powerhouse United States. The US rarely plays in these qualifying tournaments but they are sending a team to compete. This tournament focuses on countries located in the Americas.

Canada is sending 12 players who have a variety of international experience, WNBA experience and several new players who are playing for Canada for the first time. They will need to integrate quickly in order for Canada to succeed. Canada’s first game is tomorrow against Mexico at 12:30 pm EST/9:30 pm PST. They then play Cuba on Monday, Puerto Rico on Tuesday and the Dominican Republic on Thursday. The semi finals and final take place on Sept 28th and Sept 29th.

Alot of the players that are currently playing in this tournament for Team Canada will have an opportunity to prove themselves and to make an impression so that they can be in consideration for other international tournaments as well as the FIBA World Cup/Olympics.

Canada is currently ranked 5th in the world and should do well in this tournament. Winning the title will be more difficult this time around but they should still finish among the top. The games will be available to watch on DAZN in Canada and ESPN+ in the US.

 

Women’s College Basketball Players Rankings – Class by Class! Week 16

~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

We are reaching the end of February and it was another interesting week in women’s college basketball. Some upsets took place and hence there were some key names left off in this week’s list. You’ll notice some new names and with the regular season winding down, it was time to give some more appreciation to over looked colleges.

As always, you can find the previous week’s rankings here. If you have any questions or are a new time reader to these rankings, please read the FAQ page first. Listed below are the top 36 seniors, the top 27 juniors, the top 18 sophomores and the top 9 freshmen for the week of Feb. 18th to Feb. 24th.

SENIORS

  1. Arike Ogunbowale – Notre Dame
  2. Jessica Shepard – Notre Dame
  3. Katie Lou Samuelson – Connecticut
  4. Napheesa Collier – Connecticut
  5. Brianna Turner – Notre Dame
  6. Kalani Brown – Baylor
  7. Asia Durr – Louisville
  8. Teaira McCowan – Mississippi State
  9. Alanna Smith – Stanford
  10. Kristine Anigwe – California
  11. Bridget Carleton – Iowa State
  12. Kennedy Burke – UCLA
  13. Kiara Leslie – NC State
  14. Paris Kea – North Carolina
  15. Caliya Robinson – Georgia
  16. Taylor Murray – Kentucky
  17. Chloe Jackson – Baylor
  18. Anriel Howard – Mississippi State
  19. Zykera Rice – Gonzaga
  20. Macy Miller – South Dakota State
  21. Megan Huff – Utah
  22. Sam Fuehring – Louisville
  23. Arica Carter – Louisville
  24. Alexis Jennings – South Carolina
  25. Ashton Millender – DePaul
  26. Michelle Weaver – Butler
  27. Charise Wilson – Rutgers
  28. Allazia Blockton – Marquette
  29. Alexa Middleton – Iowa State
  30. Jenna Allen – Michigan State
  31. Reyna Frost – Central Michigan
  32. Destiny Washington – FGCU
  33. Mikayla Ferenz – Idaho
  34. Destinee Walker – Radford
  35. Nicole Iademarco – Rice
  36. Symone Simmons – Wright State

JUNIORS

  1. Kaila Charles – Maryland
  2. Mikayla Pivec – Oregon State
  3. Lauren Cox – Baylor
  4. Crystal Dangerfield – Connecticut
  5. Ciara Duffy – South Dakota
  6. Tynice Martin – West Virginia
  7. DiJonai Carrington – Stanford
  8. Kiana Moore – Utah
  9. Brenna Wise – Indiana
  10. Juicy Landrum – Baylor
  11. Beatrice Mompremier – Miami
  12. Joyner Holmes – Texas
  13. Sara Rhine – Drake
  14. Ayana Mitchell – LSU
  15. Becca Hittner – Drake
  16. Chante Stonewall – DePaul
  17. Peyton Williams – Kansas State
  18. Kamiah Smalls – James Madison
  19. Hannah Whitish – Nebraska
  20. Kobi Thornton – Clemson
  21. Tagyn Larson – South Dakota State
  22. Phoebe Sterba – Pennsylvania
  23. Bella Alarie – Princeton
  24. Lauren Dickerson – Miami (Ohio)
  25. C’coriea Foy – NC A&T
  26. Siyeh Frazier – Penn State
  27. Maddie Wright – Belmont

SOPHOMORES

  1. Destiny Slocum – Oregon State
  2. Kayla Wells – Texas A&M
  3. Chennedy Carter – Texas A&M
  4. Nancy Mulkey – Rice
  5. Aleah Goodman – Oregon State
  6. Aisha Sheppard – Virginia Tech
  7. Kiara Lewis – Syracuse
  8. Michaela Onyenwere – UCLA
  9. Ana Llanusa – Oklahoma
  10. Andra Espinoza – Hunter – Mississippi State
  11. Bre Cavanaugh – Fordham
  12. Nina Augustin – Robert Morris
  13. Shannon Titus – Mercer
  14. Dor Saar – Maine
  15. Jaedyn De La Cerda – New Mexico
  16. Alyric Scott – Southern
  17. Paisley Johnson – BYU
  18. Georgia Dale – California Baptist

FRESHMEN

  1. Rhyne Howard – Kentucky
  2. Elissa Cunane – NC State
  3. Naz Hillmon – Michigan
  4. Emily Engstler – Syracuse
  5. Janai Crooms – Ohio State
  6. Taylor Mikesell – Maryland
  7. Charli Collier – Texas
  8. Miya Crump – Lamar
  9. Claire Chastain – UT Arlington

2019 WNBA Mock Draft Version 2.0

~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

The 2019 WNBA Draft is less than two months away from now and it’s starting to get really exciting as March and April are very busy for the women’s college basketball world and the WNBA world. Now that we are near the end of February, it’s time to release my second version of the WNBA Mock Draft. You can read the first version here. I will release another updated version next month in March, during the time of the NCAA Tournament. From now on, I have also listed college eligible juniors and international players.

ROUND ONE

  1. Las Vegas Aces – Sabrina Ionescu**
  2. New York Liberty – Asia Durr
  3. Indiana Fever – Kalani Brown
  4. Chicago Sky – Napheesa Collier
  5. Dallas Wings – Teaira McCowan
  6. Minnesota Lynx – Arike Ogunbowale
  7. Los Angeles Sparks – Katie Lou Samuelson
  8. Phoenix Mercury – Megan Gustafson
  9. Connecticut Sun – Jessica Shepard
  10. Washington Mystics – Jackie Young**
  11. Atlanta Dream – Kristine Anigwe
  12. Seattle Storm – Brianna Turner

ROUND TWO

  1. Phoenix Mercury – Sophie Cunningham
  2. New York Liberty – Marina Mabrey
  3. Chicago Sky – Natisha Hiedeman
  4. Minnesota Lynx – Anriel Howard
  5. Dallas Wings – Eziyoda Magbegor
  6. Minnesota Lynx – Tynice Martin
  7. Los Angeles Sparks – Alanna Smith
  8. Minnesota Lynx – Hallie Thome
  9. Connecticut Sun – Maci Morris
  10. Dallas Wings – Kennedy Burke
  11. Atlanta Dream – Bridget Carleton
  12. Seattle Storm – Kianna Ibis

ROUND THREE

  1. Indiana Fever – Maite Cazorla
  2. New York Liberty – Kayla Goth
  3. Chicago Sky – Allazia Blockton
  4. Indiana Fever – Kitija Laksa
  5. Dallas Wings – Amy Okonkwo
  6. Minnesota Lynx – Cierra Dillard
  7. Los Angeles Sparks – Laura Stockton
  8. Phoenix Mercury – Morgan Bertsch
  9. Connecticut Sun – Teniya Page
  10. Washington Mystics – Kiara Leslie
  11. Atlanta Dream – Kennedy Leonard
  12. Seattle Storm – Zykera Rice

 

 

 

Women’s College Basketball Rankings – Class by Class! Week 13

~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

It was an eventful week as top teams got upset and other teams started to show why they could be very deadly come March. Parity has slowly crept in the women’s college basketball game and it is great news for both the student athletes as well as the women’s college basketball fanbase.  I’m sure these upcoming weeks will be just as eventful.

*For ONLY this week, the list for juniors stops at 25 and the freshmen stops at 8, instead of the usual 27 juniors and 9 freshmen. That will be back to the usual next week. *

If you are a first time reader or you have questions regarding these rankings, please read the FAQ page. If you have any comments or suggestions, leave them in the comments section and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

With that being said, listed below are the top 36 seniors, the top 25 (!) juniors, the top 18 sophomores and the top 8 (!)  freshmen for the week of Jan. 28th to Feb. 3rd.

SENIORS

  1. Asia Durr – Louisville
  2. Bridget Carleton – Iowa State
  3. Kalani Brown – Baylor
  4. Teaira McCowan – Mississippi State
  5. Kristine Anigwe – California
  6. Naomi Davenport – West Virginia
  7. Arike Ogunbowale – Notre Dame
  8. Alexis Jennings – South Carolina
  9. Marina Mabrey – Notre Dame
  10. Napheesa Collier – Connecticut
  11. Allazia Blockton – Marquette
  12. Amy Okonkwo – TCU
  13. Kiara Leslie – NC State
  14. Beatrice Mompremier – Miami
  15. Bianca Cuevas-Moore – South Carolina
  16. Katie Lou Samuelson – Connecticut
  17. Maite Cazorla – Oregon
  18. Erika Davenport – Marquette
  19. Kianna Ibis – Arizona State
  20. Kenisha Bell – Minnesota
  21. Jordan Danberry – Mississippi State
  22. Stasha Carey – Rutgers
  23. Regan Magarity – Virginia Tech
  24. Macy Miller – South Dakota State
  25. Hallie Thome – Michigan
  26. Courtney Ekmark – Arizona State
  27. Zykera Rice – Gonzaga
  28. Allison Arens – South Dakota
  29. Laura Stockton – Gonzaga
  30. Parise Rossignol – Maine
  31. Reyna Frost – Central Michigan
  32. Grace Kenyon – Idaho State
  33. Kourtney Eaton – UC Davis
  34. Amanda Thompson – Mercer
  35. Paula Strautmane – Quinnipiac
  36. Symone Simmons – Wright State

JUNIORS

  1. Tynice Martin – West Virginia
  2. Ruthy Hebard – Oregon
  3. Lauren Cox – Baylor
  4. Jackie Young – Notre Dame
  5. Kaila Charles – Maryland
  6. Tiana Mangakahia – Syracuse
  7. Joyner Holmes – Texas
  8. Kianna Ray – TCU
  9. Crystal Dangerfield – Connecticut
  10. DiJonai Carrington – Stanford
  11. Kiah Gillespie – Florida State
  12. Shay Colley – Michigan State
  13. Mary Gedaka – Villanova
  14. Jazmine Jones – Louisville
  15. Nausia Woolfolk – Florida State
  16. Korneila Wright – UCF
  17. Nasrin Ulel – FCGU
  18. Lydia Rivers – Radford
  19. Erica Ogwumike – Rice
  20. Ellie Harmeyer – Belmont
  21. Kamiah Smalls – James Madison
  22. Gia Pack – New Mexico State
  23. Nneka Ezeigbo – Robert Morris
  24. Cinia McCray – North Carolina A&T
  25. Ellie Mack – Bucknell

SOPHOMORES

  1. Chennedy Carter – Texas A&M
  2. Dana Evans – Louisville
  3. Satou Sabally – Oregon
  4. Destiny Slocum – Oregon State
  5. Kristin Scott – Iowa State
  6. Rennia Davis – Tennessee
  7. Aleah Goodman – Oregon State
  8. Kayla Wells – Texas A&M
  9. Michaela Onyenwere – UCLA
  10. Unique Thompson – Auburn
  11. Sidney Cooks – Michigan State
  12. Digna Strautmane – Syracuse
  13. Eleah Parker – Pennsylvania
  14. DiDi Richards – Baylor
  15. Tera Reed – VCU
  16. Brice Calip –  Missouri State
  17. Alyric Scott – Southern
  18. Jasmine Jones – Loyola Marymount

FRESHMEN

  1. Dara Mabrey – Virginia Tech
  2. Shakira Austin – Maryland
  3. Raeyana DeGray – Little Rock
  4. Miya Crump – Lamar
  5. Rhyne Howard – Kentucky
  6. Victaria Saxton – South Carolina
  7. Destanni Henderson – South Carolina
  8. Jayla Everett – New Mexico

My WNBA coverage and what to expect this season

~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

Hey everyone!

It’s been a while since my last blog post so I thought I would just quickly update all of my readers and subscribers (thank you!!) on what they can expect from me this WNBA season. I am going to be writing articles with a major focus on the Dallas Wings and the Atlanta Dream at http://www.hashtagbasketball.com/wnba. I will still watch the WNBA and other teams but if you follow those two teams closely, I will be too.

As for the blog, I will still post every two weeks to keep up with the latest WNBA information and or other interesting tidbits. I have a very busy summer ahead of me, but that does not mean the WNBA season stops. I may be absent here or there throughout the summer due to some personal family commitments so apologies if I miss certain days or if I don’t post articles, etc.

Thank you everyone for always reading this blog. I appreciate your support and I hope you continue to support during the WNBA season!

– Aneela

2018 EuroLeague Women Final Four Semi finals Recap

~ Aneela Khan ~ Leave a comment

Hello everyone,

I hope everyone is doing well. It’s been a while since I last posted a blog post and I thought I would recap both the EuroLeague Women Final Four semi finals games.

Semi Final Game #1 : UMMC vs Dynamo Kursk

There will be a new champion in EuroLeague Women as Russian powerhouse UMMC defeated the reigning champion Dynamo Kursk by a final score of 84 to 77.

Led by Maya Moore’s 28 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, UMMC was efficient both on the perimeter and in the paint. After UMMC Ekatrinburg took a two point lead after the first quarter, Dynamo Kursk stormed back and took a nine point lead thanks to the play of Angel McCoughtry who came off the bench. However, the lead was short lived as UMMC came storming back and was only down by one at the half. In the third quarter, UMMC was red hot and Dynamo Kursk just didn’t have enough scoring power other than Angel McCoughtry to keep up. UMMC was then able to control the game from that excellent third quarter and maintained the lead to grab a win. Now, UMMC will have a chance to become Euroleague champions when they face off in the final versus either Sopron or YDU this Sunday, April 22nd.  Not only was Maya Moore excellent but Brittney Griner, Emma Messeman and Kristi Toliver helped in delivering a great win for UMMC Ekatrinburg.

Semi Final Game #2: Yakin Dogu vs Sopron Basket

The fairytale season continues on for Sopron Basket. They are heading to the Euroleague Women final versus UMMC. Sopron Basket took full advantage of the Euroleague Women Final Four being held in Sopron. From the start of the game, they took control of the game and played stellar defense versus the Euroleague’s scoring leader Kayla McBride and caused several turnovers that led to easy baskets for Sopron. They never allowed Yakin Dogu to get comfortable. They went into halftime with a 10 point lead.

After halftime, it was a different story. Despite maintaining the lead, Yakin Dogu was able to get easier baskets both on the perimeter and in the paint. Yakin Dogu’s defence was much better in the second half which caused problems for Sopron. They had trouble scoring and Yakin Dogu came back. With roughly 3 minutes left, Yakin Dogu and Sopron Basket held brief leads over another until the score was tied at 65 a piece. Jelena Milavonic then hit a huge three pointer with about two seconds remaining. Yakin Dogu then recieved a 5 second violation on the other end which sealed the deal for Sopron. This is a historic win for Sopron as they head off to the title game taking place on Sunday April 22nd.