Ferroviario de Maputo book Final date with InterClube

CAIRO (Egypt) - Ferroviario de Maputo will battle against InterClube in a repeat of the FIBA Africa Women's Champions Cup 2018 Final for the ultimate crown on Saturday at the Cairo Indoor Stadium.

Both sides remained unbeaten after winning their fifth straight games at the continental competition in a show of resilience, depth in quality on the squad and experience counting for a lot over the years. 

Of the two Egyptian teams, Al Ahly put up a solid fight but were hard undone by inexperience in crucial moments of the game. They will regret the turnovers and poor decision making in the last minute of the game.  

Ferroviario de Maputo vs Sporting

For a fourth straight year, Mozambican champions Ferroviario de Maputo will play in the final of the prestigious FIBA Africa Women's Champions Cup Final after defeating hosts Sporting 86-70. That they deserve it is an understatement. They have been flawless all tournament and looked the part. 

Carlos Aik's side led from the onset and took control of the game leading 35-14 at the end of the first quarter and 49-24 at the half time thanks to Pauline Akonga who had already amassed 14 points to her name. 

Turning Point: Sporting put up a fight in the last quarter outscoring Ferroviario 23-13 but the latter had established a double digit scoreline that defined the eventual result of the game. Ferroviario played together as a team registering 28 assists. 

Stats Don't Lie: Ferroviario's defense registers as the best at the tournament and the numbers are there to back this statement. They made 17 steals and scored 31 points from fast breaks as compared to Sporting who managed just six steals. 

Player of the Match: Even though her side lost this game, many will agree that Sporting center Shawnta Dyer was extraordinary on the night. She scored 23 points, picked 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in a performance that showed her quality. 

Bottom Line: The writing was on the wall. Ferroviario deserve their place in the Final and have shown that defense can indeed win you games and has led them to the game that has provided an opportunity to defend their title. 

InterClube vs Al Ahly

The five-time champions have qualified to play in their ninth Final in 10 years - a record that speaks for itself and needs no emphasis to expound on their class as a team. 

Inter Clube lived it late to edge Al Ahly 86-85 in a thrilling game of basketball thanks to point guard Italee Lucas who drew two fouls, scored a jumper and converted twice on the charity line as well as picked a defensive rebound and made an assist in the last two minutes to inspire her team to victory.

Experienced shooting guard Astou Traore was fouled by Hala Elshaarawy with 4.4 seconds to go in the last quarter and she made no mistake on the line to score twice to give Inter Clube a one-point lead. 

Turning Point: With 4.4 seconds to play in the last quarter, Al Ahly led 85-84 when forward Elshaarawy fouled Traore who made no mistake to convert both on the free throw line to give InterClube an 86-85 lead. Mitchell forced a quick drive down the court thereafter but the damage had been done. 

The full time whistle saw InterClube exhale a breath of relief but it was tears of sorrow for the Al Ahly players who ran to hug and comfort Elshaarawy who was inconsolable. 

Stats Don't Lie: InterClube made 16 steals as compared to Al Ahly's three and the former made 31 fast break points as compared to Al Ahly's nine. InterClube also made 17 points from second chances - something that the Egyptian side were left frowning about. 

Player of the Match: Lucas registered an impressive triple double - the first of this tournament with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists but mostly it was her leadership in decisive moments in the game that made her stand out from the rest of the crowd. 

Traore recorded 32 points including seven out of seven on the free throw line to show why she remains the best shooting guard on the continent at country and club level now. However, Al Ahly point guard Mitchell did everything within her means to lift her team to the Final scoring 37 points and making seven assists but this was not enough. 

Bottom Line: InterClube will celebrate this victory tonight but they left the court with more questions than answers. However, they will be proud of their performance against an Al Ahly side that was backed by their fans, friends and family and almost walked with a win. 

FIBA