Quarter-Finals field defined after exhilarating Group Phase

 

MAPUTO (Mozambique) - The Group Phase of the 2022 FIBA Africa Women's Champions Cup came to a close on Tuesday in Maputo with eight teams fighting for their best positioning ahead of the knock-out stages.

To finish second in Group A, Costa do Sol were made to fight to secure a 3-1 record behind Interclube who had a rest day after playing four games in as many days. 

The match was not the expected blow out win, as the Mozambicans were made to huff and puff for most of the game for their 67-63 victory over a Energie BBC club, who were battle ready.

A double-double (14 points and 11 rebounds) from star player Ingvild Mucauro and 12 points from Elueteria Lhavanguane saw Costa do Sol clinch victory.

Aku Afetse scored 29 points, and her teammate Ramouziath Agbayizo finished with a double-double (21 points and 13 rebounds) in the losing cause.

Costa do Sol landed a succession of three-pointers from Pereira and Lhavanguane. Mucauro scored a bucket for the 8-0 lead, but leading scorers for the Benin club, Afetse and Agbaziyo, reduced the deficit with a bucket each.

By the end of the opening quarter, Costa do Sol showed their dominance with a 25-11 lead.

And, at the start of the second quarter, coach Leonel Manhique deployed his second unit, which scored 13 points. The host club's second unit was not as effective as Manhique would have required, as they allowed Energie to score 22 points, which included a three-point buzzer-beater by Afetse.

It was a nervous finish in the final quarter for Costa do Sol, but they were able to put the game to bed by four points.

VILLE DE DAKAR INFLICT APR'S FOURTH DEFEAT

ACS Ville de Dakar ended their Group B campaign with a 57-37 win over APR of Rwanda.

Fatoumata Django led the scoring for the Senegalese champions with 20 points, while her teammate Couna Ndao chipped in with 14 points.

Charlotte Umugwanez scored 14 points for APR, who finished bottom of the group with a 0-4 record.

REIGNING CHAMPS FERROVIARIO PUT TO THE TEST

Ferroviario de Maputo finished their group stage campaign with a 3-0 record after beating high flying Alexandria Sporting Club 79-70.

Chelsey Shumpert's team-high 19 points, Cecilia Henriques' and Stefania Chiziane's 15 points each, and Silvia Veloso's 11 points helped Ferroviario finish undefeated in Group B.

For Sporting, Cierra Dillard (22), Hagar Amer (20) and Reema Moussa's (13) contributions couldn't stop the Egyptian champions from finishing with a 2-1 ahead of the knock-out phase of the competition.

The reigning African champions Ferroviario had a hot start in the game and had a 13-point scoring run against the out-of-sorts Egyptians late in the first quarter.

Silvia Veloso scored six points, while teammates Henriques (4) and Chiziane (3) helped close out the quarter 23-9.

The home side continued their dominance in the second quarter (42-31).

In the second half, the Egyptians tried on two occasions to fight back, and in the third quarter, Sporting tied the game (53-53) and closed in by a point (66-65) in the fourth quarter. But it was the 40 minutes of solid basketball played by Ferroviario that saw them get the nine-point win.

KPA CLOSE GROUP PHASE AT 2-2

After losing their first two games, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) finished the group stages with a 2-2 record after beating CNSS 69-59.

Both sides were contesting for a good finish in the group stages as it would impact them ahead of the quarter-final places.

CNSS from the Democratic Republic of Congo dominated the first two-quarters of the game and went into the first half with a 34-27, but KPA raised their game in the second half, and a Madina Okot buzzer-beater three saw the Kenyan club take 51-50 lead in the third quarter.

KPA tightened their grip in the final quarter and had 18 points at the end of the game. Point guard Ifunaya Okoro scored a team and game-high 35 points. She also had nine rebounds and two steals in the game, while her teammate and centre Okot had nine points, crashed 22 boards and had three blocks.

CNSS shooting guard Marlene Ngobeleza scored 22 points, and her teammate and forward Deborah Mayimona 17 points in their team's 10-point loss.

The 2022 Women's Champions Cup Quarter-Finals fixtures on Thursday, November 15 are as follows:
APR v Interclube
CNSS v Ferroviario de Maputo
ASC Ville de Dakar v Costa do Sol
Kenya Ports Authority v Alexandria Sporting Club
*Energie BBC, who finished last in the four-team Group B, were eliminated.

FIBA