DAKAR (Senegal) - Eighteen games into the 2024 Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA) and the quarter-finalists have been announced.
The announcement was made on Wednesday evening after the two Group C games that saw Ferroviario de Maputo and REG finish first and second.
The top two finishers in Groups A, B and C automatically qualified for the last eight, but it was the two best third-placed teams that needed to know.
In the end, Jeanne D'Arc and CNSS made it through to the last eight thanks to their 1-2 records and a slightly better point-differential.
Despite finishing 1-2, FAP and reigning champions Sporting Alexandria missed out on the quarter-finals on head-to-head and points difference.
The teams that have qualified for the 2024 WBLA quarter-finals are as follows:
Group A: Al Ahly SC and ASC Ville de Dakar Group B: Friend's Basketball Association and APR Rwanda Group C: Ferroviario de Maputo and REG Two best third-placed teams: Jeanne D'Arc (Group C) and CNSS (Group B).
Final Rankings after the Group Phase of the 2024 WBLA
The 2024 WBLA Quarter-Finals pairings are as follows:
Friday, December 13:
- Al Ahly SC v CNSS - Friend's Basketball Association v APR - REG v ASC Ville de Dakar - Ferroviario de Maputo v Jeanne D'Arc
The WBLA throne is vacant
Two-time defending African champions struggled throughout their Group B campaign, finishing 1-2, and, as a result, left the WBLA throne vacant.
The Alexandria-based team will play Nigeria's MFM Queens in the 9-10th Place Game on Thursday, December 12.
Winners and losers of the Group Phase
There is no doubt that Sporting Alexandria are the biggest losers of the group phase, having missed out on a place in the quarter-finals.
On the other side of the equation, their domestic rivals Al Ahly SC (3-0) finished with the best record in the group phase.
FIBA