MFM Queens dare FAP in make or break encounter at FIBA Women’s Basketball League Africa

Olaolu Joseph

Four final group matches will be decided today in group A and B at the ongoing FIBA Women’s Basketball League Africa at the Marius Ndiaye Arena in Dakar the Senegalese capital.

Nigeria champions MFM Queens will be stepping on the court again today for a make or mar against F.A.P of Cameroon. Both teams need a win to progress to the quarter finals stage.

MFM Queens have suffered two defeats just like F.A.P in the hands of Al Ahly Sports Club of Egypt and ASC Ville de Dakar.

THEIR RESULTS:

ASC Ville de Dakar 57-54 F.A.P
Al Ahly Sports Club 89-63 F.A.P

Al Ahly Sports Club 99-49 MFM
ASC Ville de Dakar 81-50 MFM

This is the second time in the history of this competition F.A.P and MFM Queens are meeting. Their first encounter on the 13th of December 2019, F.A.P ran away with a 60-42 points win in a classification game

The second game of Group A is between Al Ahly Sports Club and ASC Ville, both teams are yet to taste the bitter pill of defeat.

In Group B, non of the four teams, defending champions, Sporting Alexandria, APR BBC, FBA and C.N.S.S. is guaranteed a place in the last eight as all of them are on three points each from one win and a defeat.

Meanwhile, Day 4 of the 2024 Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) had Group C teams get back to action after a day’s break with Rwanda Energy Group (REG) getting back to winning ways as former African champions Ferroviario de Maputo made it 2-0.

Julian Martinez’s REG recovered from a slow first quarter start against DR Congo’s ASB Makomeno for a convincing 83-51 victory that puts them 1-1 heading to the last group match.

The side lost their opening match 78-74 to Ferroviario de Maputo.

Ines Nezerwa, who has proven to be a crucial addition for the Rwandese champions who finished fourth in last year’s competition, dominated the side’s numbers on both ends of the court.

She dropped 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while adding six steals, and dished out two assists and as many blocks to lead the side to victory in a match they trailed 13-12 after the opening quarter.

“We finally found a tempo. It is easy when the other team lets you do it but we brought the energy. This is the kind of basketball we like and want to play. The important thing now is to keep doing it. The new players are now gelling with the rest. It is a process as we haven’t been together for long, but we are now on the same page,” REG Head Coach Julian Martinez said of the win.

Rosine Micomyiza’s back-to-back treys in the opening minutes of the second stanza changed the game in favour of REG, helping them find their rhythm as they went on to dominate, despite the opening quarter witnessing seven lead changes.

She top scored for the side with 17, going 5-of- 8 from range. Destiny Promise Philoxy was the third player to hit double digits on points with 13.

“The important thing was to play together. While I feel like we can do much more, the second half we were pressing and we got easy baskets from it. Our defensive intensity also got better,” REG’s Aminata Ly said.

“We did well in the first but lack of consistency in the second quarter changed the game and affected how we executed the rest of the match,” said Zimbabwean Dorcas Marondera who scored 13 points for ASB Makomeno.

MONDAY’S RESULTS:

GROUP C
REG BBC 83
ASB Makomeno 51

Jeanne d’Arc de Dakar 30
Ferroviario de Maputo 64

TODAY’S GAMES

GROUP A
MFM Queens vs F.A.P.
Al Ahly Sports Club vs ASC Ville

GROUP B
Friend’s Basketball Association vs C.N.S.S.
Sporting Alexandria vs APR BBC

TABLE AFTER DAY 4

GROUP A
Al Ahly Sports Club 4pts
ASC Ville 4pts
F.A.P. 2pts
MFM Queens 2pts

GROUP B
Sporting Alexandria 3pts
APR BBC 3pts
FBA 3pts
C.N.S.S. 3pts

GROUP C
Ferroviario de Maputo 4pts
Rwanda Energy Group 3pts
Jeanne d’Arc de Dakar 3pts
ASB Makomeno 2pts