Miela scores first WNBA points, now off to Berlin

• Sowah scored two points in four minutes as Golden State beat Portland 86-69
• They are her only points in six WNBA games this season
• She replaces injured captain Sami Whitcomb, who withdrew with knee inflammation

Townsville Fire guard Miela Sowah, 26, scored the first points of her WNBA career in Golden State's 86-69 win at Portland on Monday, four days before the Opals open their World Cup in Berlin.

Sowah is in that squad because Sami Whitcomb's knee gave way. The Opals captain, 38, withdrew from the tournament on August 27, 2026 with the inflammation she has managed since April, and the last seat in Sandy Brondello's 12 went to a guard with six WNBA games to her name.

"Miela gives us another genuine scoring threat and is one of the best shooters in the WNBL," Brondello said in comments published by basketball.com.au when the call-up was confirmed.

"Her ability to stretch the floor, attack close-outs and play with confidence gives us another important offensive weapon.

"Being in the WNBA environment challenges you defensively and she's thriving with her decision-making and overall understanding of the game. She's added confidence and expanded her ability to impact the game in different ways.

"I think we'll see that growth shine through in Berlin."

The WNBA half of that assessment has been served in very small portions, because Sowah has played six games for the Valkyries this season at 3.3 minutes a night, and the two points she scored in Portland are the only ones on her record, from the single field goal she has made in nine attempts all year. She checked in for four minutes, made one of two shots, took a rebound and did not turn the ball over, and Golden State moved to 29-11 with the win.

The case for her is built in the WNBL rather than the WNBA. Sowah won a championship with Townsville in March, when the Fire swept Perth in the Grand Final series for the club's fifth title, and she was in the Opals side that won gold at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, the campaign her senior international experience rests on.

That is the swap Australia carries into Germany. Whitcomb started every game of the World Cup qualifying tournament in Turkiye earlier this year, won tournament MVP and was named in the All-Star Five, and Brondello now has days rather than weeks to fit a replacement into a side ranked third in the world by FIBA and openly chasing gold.

The four minutes in Portland were the last competitive basketball Sowah will play before a World Cup, because the WNBA does not resume until September 17, and she scored on them.