Sichuan Yuanda Meile beat Cathay Life Tigers 92–70 in Bengaluru, India, on October 20, local time, opening the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball League Asia group stage with a win. Sara Blicavs scored 27, Chennedy Carter 22 and Gao Song eleven. The lineup's first official appearance featured clear overseas scoring focal points and contributions throughout the team.
First-quarter outside shooting opens the game as the first half establishes the margin
FIBA's report recorded Cathay leading 14–11 before Sichuan's 10–0 run made it 21–14 and secured control of the score. Blicavs made four of five threes and scored fourteen in the opening quarter, helping finish it 33–22. That shooting turned a deficit into a double-digit lead within the first period.
Sichuan won the second 22–12 for a 55–34 halftime score. Separation then grew little: Sichuan took the third 17–16 and both teams scored twenty in the fourth. A 37–36 second half added one to the lead, so most of the final 22-point margin was accumulated before halftime.
Nine other players contribute beyond the three leading scorers
Alongside Blicavs' 27, Carter added two rebounds, two assists and three steals, while Gao's eleven points came with six rebounds. Their sixty combined points were about 65.2% of the total; the other nine scored 32. Each of the twelve Sichuan players scored at least two and the team delivered 26 assists, extending output beyond the main trio.
Blicavs called it a good first opportunity to play together as everyone became accustomed to one another. Sichuan's head coach likewise noted that this was the lineup's first match and new players needed more integration time. Both distinguish immediate distributed scoring from completed team cohesion.
FIBA's subsequent Carter interview supplied background: she had played for Heilongjiang and Wuhan and already knew Sichuan and some players; last year she represented Saudi Arabia's AlUla in the Asian league. She felt both sides could help each other. Her 22 points alongside teammates' production better describes the partnership's start than her individual tally alone.
| Team | First quarter | Second quarter | Third quarter | Fourth quarter | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sichuan Yuanda Meile | 33 | 22 | 17 | 20 | 92 |
| Cathay Life Tigers | 22 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 70 |
INKA SPORTS analysis: The opener gives a concrete answer on shared scoring
Our pre-match preview asked whether stable support could develop around Carter. Blicavs opened the game with four first-quarter threes, Gao and others kept scoring, and 26 team assists provided evidence of broad participation. In this match, Sichuan converted its personnel into actual scoring distribution.
The score's formation also limits the conclusion: Sichuan gained 21 before halftime and only one afterward. Maintaining the game after establishing a lead is part of winning, but differs from continually expanding it. The next question is whether varied offense continues without such exceptional early outside shooting, rather than extrapolating one large win to an entire season.
Conclusion
The opener's clearest gain was Blicavs' shooting, Carter's scoring and team-wide involvement working together. Another group test remains: Akari Sparks on October 22 at 16:00 local time in India, or 18:30 China Standard Time (UTC+8). FIBA said victory would secure group first and a semi-final place; the opening margin still needed a second-match result to become qualification.
