DAKAR (Senegal) – Egyptian champions Al Ahly Sporting Club withstood tough conditions in a packed Marius Ndiaye Arena to claim a victory 65-64 against ASC Ville de Dakar (ASCVD), and qualify for the 2024 Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) final.
Despite the tense last 54 seconds of the match and the stoppages in play which lasted more than 40 minutes due to supporters’ unrest, Tarek Abouzied’s side kept a semblance of composure to win by the narrowest of margins. , shattering the morale of the more than 4,800 fans who filled the arena.
An 18-11 lead gave the home team hope of a rematch victory, but despite their best players, Kamite Elisabeth Dabou and Foune Sissoko, who scored 20 and 15 points respectively, their dream of winning at home could never be realized.
THE TURNING POINT OF THE MATCH : ASC led 23-13 in the first two minutes of the second quarter, but ASCVD allowed its opponent to go on a 7-0 run to reach 23-20, then 29-23 to end the half -time with only one point ahead for the home team.
HEROIN : Senegal’s Ndioma Kané remained calm under immense pressure to score 18 points, including 11 in the final stretch, when her team needed it most to achieve a crushing victory.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE: Little separated the two teams, but the credit goes to Al Ahly SC, who produced a series of 17-8 quick transitions, while ASCVD led 31-38. Abouzied’s players also dominated the racket (38-22).
CONCLUSION : ASCVD, who were looking to become the third Senegalese team to win the African title in front of their home crowd, will now have to fight for a place on the podium in the third place match.
For its part, Al Ahly SC, which lost in the semi-final of its last championship, settling for the bronze medal, has the opportunity to take back the crown left vacant by its counterpart Alexandria Sporting Club. In case of victory, it will be a first continental title.
THEY SAID: “It was a very difficult match, but we already knew it would be different, because we played them in the group stage. We were unlucky today, because there were a lot of critical moments during the match. It was the hardest match we have ever played and we will always remember it. They had a good match, but we are happy to have won it. Aliaa Gamel, assistant coach of Al Ahly SC.
“We dominated the match and I am proud of my players for the way they played. Luck was not on our side in the final moments and we had some decisions that did not go our way and we We couldn’t finish the match.” Moustapha Gaye, head coach of ASCVD.
FIBA
