DAKAR (Senegal) – Former African champion Ferroviario de Maputo is heading to the Women’s Basketball League Africa 2024 (WBLA) final after coming from behind to surprise APR 86-71 in a second half of resilience and basketball mastery.
The match went down in two stages, with the Rwandans leading the first half 51-33, but finding no response to the comeback orchestrated by Destiny Pitts and Ingvild Mucauro, which saw the Mozambicans score 53 points in 20 minutes, compared to just 21. Ferroviario’s 14 steals, in a game where Anabela Cossa scored eight times from behind the three-point line, made the difference for APR.
THE TURNING POINT OF THE MATCH: A 22-point first-half lead for APR didn’t mean much when they let Ferroviario go on a 30-15 run in the third quarter to cut their deficit to three points thanks to meticulous defense and efficiency at the basket.
Three steals in the first two minutes of the final quarter for Ferroviario led to a 10-0 run that changed the course of the game, giving the Mozambicans a 73-66 lead and no turnovers were possible.
HEROIN: Anabela Cossa’s 31 points in 29 minutes, on 8 of 14 shots from behind the arc, earned a standing ovation from the fans who encouraged the team in its comeback.
Destiny Pitts also scored three times in crucial moments of the second half to propel the team to victory, but both players benefited from defensive stops from Mucauro, who racked up seven steals and as many assists in the encounter.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE: Coach Charles Mushumba admitted that a 20-0 lead off the bench was the winning statistic for Ferroviario, but the Rwandans were also outscored 32-16 in the paint and 19-2 on second chance points in defeat.
Ferroviario also managed to limit APR’s shots, with Italee Lucas and Kierstan Bell coming out for fouls, which also contributed to the Mozambicans’ victory.
CONCLUSION : The Mozambicans are only one victory away from a third African title. Mucauro, who was named MVP the last time they won, is eager to bring her team another trophy.
THEY SAID: “We didn’t get off to a great start, but we tried to keep the APR in range. We made adjustments on defense at halftime, stopping their close range shots while improving our offense to take the lead. advantage and hold on until victory.”
“I’m happy that my players stayed confident and fought to come back. Now that we are in the final, we know it will be a different game and the approach will be different. But we will rest and come back prepared for Al Ahly.” Nasir Salé, train engineer from Maputo.
“Ferroviario had a bigger bench and our two best players made mistakes in a crucial moment, which made the fight for victory difficult. We were getting good results on three-point shots, but in the second half , the team’s defense managed to close the door on us and we couldn’t adapt in time. It’s a difficult defeat but we have to focus on the third place match which won’t be easy no. more because we play against the team local.” Charles Mushumba, APR head coach.
FIBA
