LUANDA (Angola) - Angola needed heroes to overcome Mozambique 65-58 in the final game of their Zone 6 FIBA AfroBasket qualifier on Tuesday night, having lost to the same opponents the day before.
The call was answered by the evergreen superstar Italee Lucas, the sensational Sara Caetano, the tough Cristina Matiquite and the little-known Isabel Fernando. All four played a key role in Angola's automatic qualification for this year's Women's AfroBasket in Côte d'Ivoire (25 July - 3 August).
A double-double (28 points and 11 rebounds) from the stylish veteran Lucas, Caetano's 10 points and 18 boards, Matiquite's 15 points and Fernando's clutch free-throw in the final seconds of the fourth quarter ensured that the night belonged to Angola and their fans at the Pavilhao da Cidadela in the capital city Luanda.
Ingvild Mucauro's 18 points and Vilma Covane's 10 were not enough for Mozambique.
The hosts raced out to a 7-0 lead thanks to buckets from Avelina Peso, Caetano and Lucas.
Angola played with a sense of urgency. Lucas, who was 3/6 from the field, added five more, while forward Matiquite (5/7 from the charity stripe) hit seven as the hosts raced to a 25-12 lead.
Angola's fire was extinguished in the second quarter as Mozambique fought back.
The hosts scored just seven points as the visitors clawed their way into a 31-19 lead after 4:47.
Five points from Mucauro, starting with two free-throws and three from Silvia Veloso, and free-throws in the final minutes of the quarter saw Angola's lead reduced to one at 32-31.
Lucas' 13 points, including three treys in the third quarter, kept the home side in the ascendancy and Mucauro's eight points, including two treys, kept the contest close at 53-46.
The contest was set to go down to the wire in the fourth quarter. A Mucauro three got things going, while a bucket and a single free-throw from Veloso made it a three-point game (55-52). On a fast break, Mucauro fed Carla Covane for a lay-up to make it a one-point game.
With two minutes remaining and the score at 59-58, a Lucas jumper gave Angola some much-needed breathing space, while a Caetano bucket gave the home side a six-point lead.
Angola needed a bucket to clinch automatic qualification to the Women's AfroBasket and, after Mozambique missed a three-pointer in the dying seconds, Fernando, who had scored just three points in the game, was fouled on a fast-break, leading to free-throws.
Fernando missed her first, causing the fans to gasp, but the guard picked herself up and drained her second free-throw to give Angola the seven points they needed to qualify for the 2025 Women's AfroBasket.
FIBA