ZANZIBAR (Tanzania) - Al Ahly Sporting Club are the winners of the 2024 FIBA Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA) Zone 5 Qualifiers.
The side, playing Rwandese champions Rwanda Energy Group (REG) in the highly-anticipated Final game, picked a 93-69 win.
It was a hard-fought three quarters, Al Ahly SC leading 22-21 in the opening period, the second ending 17-all. The second quarter had Tarek Abouzeid's side taking the third quarter 25-22. REG, however, crumbled under pressure in the final quarter, being dominated 29-8 for the final score.
Turning Point: It was anyone's game for 30 minutes, Al Ahly leading 64-60. REG lost their momentum, scoring three in the opening five minutes of the final quarter to trail 77-63 and there was no redemption for Julian Martinez's side.
Game Hero: Nadine Mohamed and Raneem Elgedawy led the numbers for the Egyptians with 23 points and 8 rebounds for the former while centre player Elgedawy managed a double-double on 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Stats Don’t Lie: REG turned the ball over 23 times and were punished for it as Al Ahly SC scored 29 off of those, as they managed just 9 from the Egyptians 14 turnovers. The side was also dominated on the paint 56-34, a majority of those points scored in the final quarter.
Bottom Line: The two sides are headed to Dakar, Senegal with heads held high as they faced some formidable opposition en route qualification.
They Said: "It feels good to come here and win. Everyone was switched on from the first whistle and we fought as a team. We managed to stay focused to the last match and it feels good to head to the WBL-Africa as champions. This has been a dream come true for most of us who have been part of this club since childhood. There's no time to celebrate, we head for training with our eyes in the African title," Al Ahly SC guard Nadine Mohamed.
"We really fought but in the final quarter we lost our momentum and allowed them easy baskets while also not using our possessions. It is a tough loss, but first we have to be grateful for qualifying. It is was a great experience being here and representing my club," REG forward Kristina Morgan King.
KPA find no answer for APR (3rd-Place Game)
In their second meet of the competition, 2023 Zone champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) failed to click against APR, going down 85-51 as the Rwandese silver medalists finished third.
Canadian Shaina Pellington and American-Angolan Italee Lucas combined for 46 points, the latter sinking 5-of-8 from beyond the arc as Kamba Yoro Diakite added 14 for the win.
It was a tight first quarter, Lucas stealing the lead from KPA with back-to-back treys for 17-15 but that was all the resistance the Kenyan side would put up as they lost the remaining quarters 22-12, 18-10 and 28-14 to miss out on the podium.
Equity Hawks survive JKL Lady Dolphins (5th-Place Game)
The clash between Kenya's Equity Bank Hawks and Uganda's JKL Lady Dolphins came down to the last six seconds with the former holding on for a 59-56 win.
JKL led 22-17 in the first quarter, the second ending 13-all to see the Ugandans lead 35-30 at half time. A third quarter 15-4 dominance for the Bankers gave them some breathing space, holding on to win despite JKL leading 17-14 in the final stanza.
Gladiators beat Vijana Queens (7th-Place Game)
Nelly Sandra Nsanzabaganwa dropped 22 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds for a game-high 22 in efficiency as Gladiators came back from behind to beat Vijana Queens 79-65 for seventh place.
Vijana had the perfect start, going on a 27-6 run in the opening quarter but Gladiators begun their comeback story with a 28-14 second period before going 24-13 and 21-11 ahead in the second half for victory.
Fox Divas bag first win (9th-Place Game)
Tanzania's Fox Divas bagged their first win of the 11-team competition in a 79-50 victory over Ethiopia’s Hawassa City.
Nescal Julius Ngisaise was the star of the show, dropping a tournament-high 40 point, 12 from beyond the arc, 12 on the free-throw line and the rest in the paint to propel her side to victory.
The hosts dominated in quarters of 17-11, 20-15, 22-9 and 20-15 leaving the Ethiopians winless.
FIBA