DAKAR (Senegal) - Egyptian champions Al Ahly Sporting Club withstood tough conditions at a filled up Marius Ndiaye Arena to pick a clutch 65-64 victory against home side ASC Ville de Dakar (ASCVD) for a place in the 2024 Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA) Final.
Despite tense final 54 seconds of the match with stoppages stretching over 40 minutes due to fan trouble, the Tarek Abouzied charges maintained some semblance of composure to win by the slightest of margin, crashing the hearts of over 4,800 fans that filled up the Arena.
An 18-11 lead gave the home side hopes that a revenge victory, when it mattered, was possible but despite their top players Kamite Elisabeth Dabou and Foune Sissoko dropping 20 and 15 points respectively, their dream of winning it at home was never to be.
TURNING POINT: ASC led 23-13 in the opening two minutes of the second quarter, but ASCVD allowed the opponent to go on an 7-0 run for 23-20, and again from 29-23 to see the half end with the home side holding by a single point advantage.
HERO: Senegalese national Ndioma Kané remained calm under immense pressure to drop 18 points, 11 in the final stanza when her side needed them the most for the massive win.
STATS DON'T LIE: Little separated the two sides but credit to Al Ahly SC for their 17-8 run on fast breaks, on match that the home side led 31:38 minutes. Abouzied's charges also dominated the paint 38-22.
BOTTOM LINE: ASCVD who were looking to become the third Senegalese side to win the African title in front of home fans will now have to fight for a place on the podium in the third-place match.
Meanwhile, Al Ahly SC who lost in the semi final at their last championship, going on to settle for bronze now have an opportunity to pick the crown left vacant by counterparts Alexandria Sporting Club. Should they win, it will be a first continental title.
THEY SAID: "It was a really tough game but we already knew it would be different having played them in the group phase. We had very bad luck today as there were many critical moments during the game. It is the toughest game we have ever played and it will always be remembered. They had a good game but we are grateful to have won it," Aliaa Gamel, Al Ahly SC assistant coach. "We dominated the game and I am proud of my players for the way they played. Luck was not on our side in the last moments and we had some calls that didn't go our way and just couldn't finish the game," Moustapha Gaye, ASCVD head coach.
FIBA