ZANZIBAR (Tanzania) – Al Ahly Sporting Club are the winners of the FIBA Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) 2024 Zone 5 qualifiers.
The team, which faced Rwandan champions Rwanda Energy Group in a much-anticipated final, achieved a 93-69.
The match played out over three closely contested quarters, with Al Ahly SC leading 22-21 in the first half, with the second ending with a score of 17-17. Tarek Abouzeid’s team won the third quarter 25-22. REG, however, collapsed under pressure in the last quarter, dominated 29-8 for the final score.
The turning point of the match: The match was played for 30 minutes, with Al Ahly leading 64-60. REG lost momentum, scoring three baskets in the first five minutes of the final quarter to trail 77-63 and there was no more redemption for Julian Martinez’s team.
The heroines of the match: Nadine Mohamed and Raneem Elgedawy led the way for the Egyptians, with 23 points and 8 rebounds for the first, while Elgedawy managed a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The numbers don’t lie: REG lost the ball 23 times and were penalized for it, with Al Ahly SC scoring 29 points, while the Rwandans only scored 9 of the 14 balls lost by the Egyptians, who only scored 9. The team was also outscored in the paint 56-34, with the majority of those points coming in the final quarter.
Conclusion : Both teams head to Dakar, Senegal with their heads held high, having faced formidable opponents on the road to qualification.
They said:
“It feels good to come here and win. Everyone was motivated from the first whistle and we fought as a team. We managed to stay focused until the last match and it feels good to be to make it to the WBL-Africa as champions This is a dream come true for most of us who have been part of this club since childhood. There is no time to celebrate, we will. train with eyes fixed on the African title”, Nadine Mohamed, Al Ahly SC fullback.
“We really fought, but in the last quarter we lost momentum and allowed them to score easy baskets while not exploiting our possessions. It’s a tough loss, but we have to “First of all, be grateful that we qualified. It was a great experience to be here and represent my club.” Kristina Morgan King, aillière du REG.
KPA no match for APR (match for 3rd place)
For their second meeting of the competition, the 2023 champions of the Zone, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), failed to win against the APR, losing 85-51 while the Rwandan silver medalists finished in third place.
Canadian Shaina Pellington and American-Angolan Italee Lucas combined for 46 points, the latter hitting 5 of 8 shots from beyond the arc, while Kamba Yoro Diakite added 14 points for the victory.
The first quarter was tight, Lucas taking the advantage over KPA thanks to two consecutive shots (17-15), but it was the only resistance from the Kenyans, who lost the other quarters (22-12, 18 -10 and 28-14) and could not get on the podium.
Equity Hawks vs JKL Lady Dolphins (5th place match)
The clash between Kenya’s Equity Bank Hawks and Uganda’s JKL Lady Dolphins came down to the last six seconds, with the former winning 59-56.
JKL led 22-17 in the first quarter, the second ended at 13-13 and the Ugandans led 35-30 at halftime. The Bankers dominated the third quarter 15-4, which allowed them to breathe a little and win despite JKL leading 17-14 in the last quarter.
Gladiators beat Vijana Queens (7th place match)
Nelly Sandra Nsanzabaganwa scored 22 points, delivered 6 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds for 22 efficiency. Gladiators came from behind to beat Vijana Queens 79-65 and take seventh place.
The Gladiators staged a comeback to beat Vijana Queens 79-65 to take seventh place. Vijana got off to a perfect start, going on a 27-6 run in the first quarter, but the Gladiators began their comeback with a 28-14 second period, before leading 24-13 and 21-11 in the second halftime for the victory.
First victory for the Fox Divas (9th place match)
Fox Divas of Tanzania scored their first victory in this 11-team competition by winning 79-50 against the Ethiopians of Hawassa City.
Nescal Julius Ngisaise was the star of the match, scoring 40 points, including 12 from beyond the arc, 12 from the free throw line and the rest in the paint, to propel his team to victory.
The home players dominated the quarters 17-11, 20-15, 22-9 and 20-15, leaving the Ethiopians winless.
FIBA
