OSHKOSH, Wis. (WGBA) — The Wisconsin Glo capped off a perfect season with a thrilling championship victory on Sunday, topping the three-time reigning champion Flint Monarchs 80-78 to win the Global Women’s Basketball Association (GWBA) title in the franchise’s inaugural season.
The Glo, which plays its home games at Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh, finished the year 14-0 and won those games by an average of 38 points.
Most of the team’s players have Wisconsin connections, including forward Jessica Lindstrom: a former UWGB star who was named the MVP of the GWBA playoffs.
“I think it’s definitely growing,” Lindstrom said of the state of women’s basketball in Wisconsin. “We don’t even have a WNBA team in Wisconsin so it would be really cool to get the word out about women’s basketball in general and that’s what we’re trying to do here.”
🏆WE’RE GWBA CHAMPIONS!!!🏆
— Wisconsin GLO (@WisconsinGLO) August 11, 2019
FINAL: GLO 80, Flint Monarchs 78.
GLO (14-0) dethrone 3-time defending GWBA champion Monarchs!
Taylor Wurtz had final steal, led GLO with 18 points; Jessica Lindstrom 11 points & 15 boards; Sam Logic 8 points, 8 boards & 11 assists.#LetsGLO 💙💚 pic.twitter.com/0KVoiCVlIM
A strong opening season will help. The Glo’s head coach, Dan Carey, said the Glo will be back for a second season and expect to pick up right where they left off.
The GWBA may be growing, too. This year, the league was made up of only four teams. But league executives hope to expand before the 2020 season, something the Glo and its players would welcome with open arms.
“We would love that,” Lindstrom said. “Any type of competition we can get throughout the United States would be amazing because there are so many girls that don’t play in the WNBA that play overseas and we know they need something to do in the summer, too.
“I know that other states can put together some other teams to play us,” she said.
“We’re always looking to play really competitive teams and we want that,” Carey said. “And just to continue to grow the quality of teams in this league is going to be really important for the sustainability of the league."
Many of the Glo's players play overseas in the GWBA's offseason. Lindstrom will be heading to Belgium at the end of August for her second season of professional basketball in Europe.
To visit the GWBA’s website, click here.
