Spiders dampen Blaze's Fire
March 27, 2005 - National Women's Basketball League (NWBL)
San Jose Spiders News Release
Playing as if they were right in the middle of the playoff race, the San Jose Spiders extinguished the Chicago Blaze 65-58 Saturday, March 26th at De Anza College in Cupertino.
Heading into the NWBL playoffs on fire, the Blaze defeated the league-leading Colorado Chill yesterday, coming into tonight's game full of momentum. The Spiders dominated the Blaze outside the arc, allowing the Blaze zero 3-point attempts in the first half and controlled the floor throughout the game. The Blaze connected from outside the arc 5 times in the second half to keep the Spiders within their grasp. The Blaze connected for a meager 5-for-19 (26.3%) from beyond the arc in the game. The Spiders' pride and excellent ball control handed the Blaze the 65-58 loss.
The Spiders took advantage of scoring opportunities, outscoring the Blaze 16-4 on second-chance attempts. The Spiders showed prowess in outrebounding one of the league's top-rebounding teams, 43-34, with nine more offensive rebounds than the Blaze. The Spiders shot an amazing 91.3% on Free Throws (21 for 23), whereas the Blaze managed to shoot 76.5% (13 for 17) from the line.
Tera Bjorklund led the Spiders with 13 points and fostered 6 rebounds. Despite playing in just the second half, fighting a sore knee, Amisha Carter racked up 11 points and 6 boards. Andrea Garner piled up 12 boards, 8 on defense. Erica Glover added 11 points and 6 rebounds. Amanda Lassiter, also battling soreness, contributed 10 points as well. Natalie Nakase led the Spiders with 6 assists.
Keisha Anderson led the Blaze with 16 points, while Kelly Gibson added 12 points. Ebony Hoffman was one board short of a double-double, garnering 10 points and 9 rebounds in the defeat. Kelly Beacham added 10 points for the Blaze as well.
The Spiders' inaugural season ends tomorrow, Sunday, March 27th at 4 p.m. at De Anza College in Cupertino hosting the league-leading Colorado Chill, featuring WNBA stars Ruth Riley, Becky Hammon and Kate Cronin. The theme for the game is "NATIONAL JUNIOR BASKETBALL (NJB) NIGHT" - any NJB player that wears their NJB jersey or sweatshirt, only pays $5 per ticket!
The SAN JOSE SPIDERS is an expansion team of the National Women´s Basketball League, a professional women´s basketball league that plays its season in the spring, from January to April each year, featuring some of America´s best professional female athletes. For more information on the Spiders please visit their Web site at www.nwbl.com.
The NWBL is a six-team league that features more than 25 active WNBA players. Other teams in the league include the Birmingham Power (Birmingham, Ala.); Dallas Fury (Dallas, Texas); Chicago Blaze ( Naperville, Ill.); Lubbock Hawks (Lubbock, Texas); and Colorado Chill (Denver, Col).
National Women's Basketball League Stories from March 27, 2005
- Spiders Melt First Place Chill 75-63 - San Jose Spiders
- Spiders dampen Blaze's Fire - San Jose Spiders
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