DAKAR (Senegal) – The saying “It’s hope that kills you” couldn’t have been more true for REG fans who were expecting a victory after entering the final quarter of their match quarter-finals of the Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) 2024 against ASC Ville de Dakar (ASCVD), who were playing at home, with a lead of 13 points.
The team led by Moustapha Gaye, however, did everything to force overtime and win the match 61-57like in her first match where she came from behind to win 57-54 against FAP of Cameroon.
Elisabeth Dabou scored half of her 16 points in the fourth quarter; Foune Sissoko scored six of his nine points in the same period to lead the hosts back to victory. The more than 4,300 supporters who invaded the 4,800-seat arena carried their team to victory.
THE TURNING POINT OF THE MATCH: The hosts wiped out REG’s 15-point lead to come within three points at 51-48, with Fatou Pouye equalizing at 51 with 3’36 to go, putting the Arena crowd on edge. boiling. The home team equalized again at 53 and 55, which forced them to resort to overtime, which they dominated 6-2 to win.
L’HEROINE : Dabou scored 12 of his 16 points in the final quarter and overtime to lead his team to victory. She completed her double-double with 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE: The credit goes to the ASCVD bench which beat REG 21-2. The hosts also dominated the paint 40-32 and 15-7 on second chance points, 14-9 on the fast break and 14-11 on points on turnovers. Both teams managed just one three-pointer on 16 attempts for Gaye’s players, while REG scored four.
CONCLUSION : ASCVD dashed REG’s hopes of improving on their fourth place finish from last year, relegating them to the classification matches where the Julian Martinez-led team will now look to reach fifth place.
For their part, the home team hopes to win the next two matches and continue to make history for their city, becoming the third Senegalese team to win the title as hosts and ending a decades-long drought.
THEY SAID: “The credit goes to my players who remained calm. During the first three quarters, we fell into their system, but we were able to make a few adjustments which allowed us to get back on track. Our minimum objective was to reach the semi-finals, so it’s a small victory that we celebrate a little before focusing on the crucial semi-finals.” Moustapha Gaye, head coach of ASCVD.
“It was an intense and physical game. It was a good team that played until the end. There were a lot of things we could have done better. We missed layups and easy shots and in general , we were victims of ourselves.” Kayla Nicole Pointer, REG player.
FIBA
