A new league in the United States tipped off over the weekend. The Women’s Minor League Basketball Association, which was announced for this season last year, began play with five of the teams making their debuts. Friday’s opener in Houston was a great start for the league as Houston edged Dallas 65-63. Tennessee hosted their first game on Saturday, beating Carolina 106-79 and repeating the feat on Sunday 106-79. Back in Houston, Dallas got their first win by welcoming San Antonio to the league 106-48 on Saturday. San Antonio left the weekend winless after falling to Houston 74-48 on Sunday.
Under the direction of two individuals with experience in all areas of the sports industry, the league is looking to fill a niche for another professional league, creating a national footprint for independent minor league basketball. Launching this summer has allowed teams to sign players coming off seasons in other leagues around the world. In addition to creating a professional environment for players, the league is looking to engage more with fans, especially children, in comparison to similar leagues.
The league has three Texas teams, San Antonio, Houston, which is based out of Pearland, and Dallas, which calls Carrollton home. The Midwest Reign is based in Kansas City, Kansas, the Tennessee Storm hail from Memphis, and the Carolina Stars play in Columbia, South Carolina.
June 16, 2017
Houston Galaxy 65 Dallas Lightning 63
June 17, 2017
Tennessee Storm 106 Carolina Stars 79
Dallas Lightning 106 San Antonio Troopers 48
June 18, 2017
Tennessee Storm 103 Carolina Stars 61
Houston Galaxy 74 San Antonio Troopers 48
The next round of games will be played this coming weekend Friday through Sunday with the Midwest Reign playing their first games, hosting Tennessee and Carolina. The Texas teams will also play a set of games, this time in Dallas.