BULAWAYO (Zimbabwe) – Regional title contenders Angola and Mozambique kept their good habits of winning against Zambia and Zimbabwe respectively on Thursday in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Both teams reiterated their statement about their ambitions of making it to the 2023 FIBA Women's AfroBasket as they both scored 90+ while keeping their opponents at bay.

After three days of action in Bulawayo, Mozambique top the group with a perfect 3-0 record, while Angola are just one point behind at 2-1.

Although things look bright for Angola and Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia face uphill battles to reverse their fortunes in the regional qualifier. 

Angola v Zambia (92-61)

Angola claimed their second win in a row after beating Zambia 92-61.

Cristina Matiquite made yet another show, claiming 23 points and 8 rebounds to help the former African champions Angola stay in contention for a spot at this year's African Championship to be held in Kigali, Rwanda.

Angola had a strong start to the game, while Zambia tried to respond timidly to the attacks. Angola extended their to 23 points going into the second quarter (36-13).

Angola kept their offensive ways, leaving little to no room to their opponents as they cruised into the second quarter 23-13, thus totalling 59-26.

Coming back from the locker room, Angola slowed a bit, just enough to see Zambia close in on them (15-12). But in the final quarter, Zambia displayed more offensive intentions, which translated to them claiming it as their 23-12.

But Angola had already secured the win long before the last quarter. Alongside Matiquite, Sara Caetano contributed 17 points, 4 rebounds and finised the day with the most steals (5). Italee Lucas added 12 points, 2 steals and delivered 4 assists, while Nadir Manuel claimed 11 points and 4 rebounds.

The game's top performer, however, wore a Zambian outfit. Priscilla Chella was quite busy at both ends of the court, claiming 24 points, grabbing one offensive and 5 defensive rebounds, and stole the ball from Angola a mere four times. She also scored an impressive 10 out of 12 free throws during the game.

The game's other top scorer was Tendai Chuma Ziko, who contributed 18 points to her side’s total. But her efforts were far from enough to prevent her side from falling against the former African champions.

Mozambique v Zimbabwe (95-43)

Mozambique made yet another impressive display, this time against hosts Zimbabwe as they paved their way to their third victory in as many games (95-43). With their 3-0 in these Qualifiers, the Lusophones top the Group ahead of the return leg.

They took the best possible start, grabbing a 12-point advantage at the end of the first quarter. But when the second quarter started, they levelled up and kept Zambia at respectable distance, this time with 27-15, this time claiming a 24-point advantage at half-time.

Mozambique kept a steady pace, this time pushing Zimbabwe further away, finishing the third quarter with a 20-point advance. It was clear that the hosts would not be able to get back into the game. But the latter kept pushing despite lagging behind.

And they finished only 8 points away (20-12) as Mozambique claimed the win. Invigild Mucauro and Stefania Chiziane led the floor for Mozambique with 14 points each, while Happiness Maroto was the top scorer for Zimbabwe with 15 points.

Nilzia Chiziane and Shelsea Rafael were the top rebounders for Mozambique with 7 boards each. But the game’s top rebounder was Tadiwa Mabika, who grabbed 17 rebounds and contributed 6 points to Zimbabwe’s total. Furthermore, she added 4 steals – another top performance – to her figures.

FIBA