DAKAR (Senegal) – Ferroviario de Maputo, 2024 African champion of the Women’s Basketball League (WBLA)!
The Mozambican team coached by Nasir Salé, who made his return to the African competition after missing last year’s competition in Egypt, beat Al Ahly Sporting Club 81-72 to win the title.
Ingvild Mucauro, MVP in 2019, produced an exceptional performance, despite a foul in the last two minutes of the match. She led her team to victory with 18 points, seven rebounds and as many steals, adding four assists for 25 efficiency, the best mark of the game.
THE TURNING POINT OF THE MATCH: The Mozambicans, who led by 13 points at the end of the first half, allowed the Egyptians to reduce their deficit to 8 points during the second quarter (23-19). A 21-12 run, during which Mucauro scored eight points and the team added four steals to the eight already made in the first quarter, forced the Egyptians to enter the last ten minutes with a 17-point deficit.
The Arena was divided midway through the final quarter of an hour, Ndioma Kané unleashing half of his compatriots by leading Al Ahly SC in a 9-2 series for 72-61 before coach Salé brought back Carla Covane and Mucauro on the floor before the latter committed a foul about two minutes from the end of the match.
With victory in sight, nothing could stop Ferroviario who held on for victory.
HEROINES: Silvia Veloso may have finished with the highest score of the game (33) after scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to achieve her team’s only double-double in the final, adding five assists and as many steals, but Mucauro deserves a mention for her numbers, as does Carla Covane, who scored 16 points and came within one rebound of a double-double.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE: Al Ahly SC dominated most of the crucial numbers, the racket 48-32, 18-7 on second chance points, and 24-12 off the bench, but were outscored 23-12 on counterattacks in transition . The champions also shot 71.4% from the free throw line.
CONCLUSION : After a third place finish in their last appearance in 2022 on home soil, Ferroviario de Maputo came back to win and claim their third African title.
THEY SAID: “We’ve been through a lot before coming here and throughout the competition, thinking about everyone who’s back home and everything that’s going on. I’m very proud of this team. It was a great game difficult but we remained focused After yesterday’s match, we drew our strength from our desire to win. This is for Ferroviario and Mozambique. Ingvild Mucauro.
FIBA
