Douala focusing on lessons picked against ASC
At the conclusion of the match, the 2 sides shared a simple but yet beautiful moment as they were the first match-up of the AWBL that took a group photo after the final match, in a show of camaraderie.
ALEXANDRIA (Egypt) - Université de Douala (UDLA) played for a 115-49 loss to hosts Alexandria Sporting Club (ASC) in their second match of the ongoing Africa Women's Basketball League (AWBL), this being the second loss for the varsity side.
However, for the Yvan Cyril-coached side the score means little to them compared to the lessons they picked playing against a side as experienced as the Mohamed Abdelrahman-led reigning African club champions are.
At the conclusion of the match, the two sides shared a simple but yet beautiful moment as they were the first match-up of the competition that took a group photo after the final whistle, in a show of camaraderie.
For teenager Myriam Guiolobo, that moment meant more for her team and will serve as a source of inspiration for them as they work on their craft to get to the level that ASC are playing on.
"It means that they respected us enough, despite the scores to invite us for the picture and that was motivating. We are happy," Myriam offered with a smile.
The 19-year-old says her team picked valuable lessons from this match and that has been one of their main objective in this championship.
"We are happy, results notwithstanding, to play the reigning African champions. It was an honour. To be competing against some of the best players in the continent is an opportunity for us to showcase our talents both continentally and to the world as it comes with a lot of visibility," she continued.
Myriam Guiolobo
She further noted that the biggest lesson her side will carry from Tuesday's encounter is to "Dream big".
"We have to take this as an opportunity to learn. We are an inexperienced side going up against some of the best players in the continent and beyond and it might be difficult to compete against such players but we can learn from them," she added.
Myriam believes that this experience, while it may not make the side instant champions back home, it helps them identify areas that need working on and maybe in the near future they could come back and give teams like ASC a run for their money.
The match saw six of ASC's players hit double digits with skipper Hagar Amer, the MVP in the last edition of the Champions Cup for Women, drop a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
UDLA's charge was led by Cynthia Amayaba who scored 14, adding 2 rebounds and 2 steals.
FIBA