WINDHOEK (Namibia) - Sporting Club de Luanda stormed to a 98-52 victory over host club UNAM Phoenix in Group A of the Zone 6 WBLA qualifiers on Friday at the DHPS Indoor Court.
The Angolans quickly established a 19-point lead (24-5), with Nelma Cunha leading the scoring with 14 points. However, UNAM regrouped and fought back with consecutive three-pointers from Victoria Netumbo and Limene Limene, forming part of an 18-point run, reducing the deficit to just three points (26-23).
TURNING POINT: Sporting stepped things up in the second quarter. Within the first minute, three-pointers from Cunha and Antonia Ngungui set the tone for a breakaway.
UNAM were unable to repel Sporting's attacks and found themselves 21 points behind (56–35).
Sporting piled on the points in the third (81–38) and fourth quarters to secure that all-important first victory.
HERO: Nelma Cunha got Sporting off to a good start and deserved her 20 points. Her teammates Magda Mussol scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Conceição Caetano scored 15 points. These three players made a great debut for their club in the qualifiers, putting them one step closer to the WBLA tournament in Cairo.
STATS DON'T LIE: By the end of the game, Sporting had dominated all the advanced stats.
Coach Angela Cardoso's team scored 49 points from turnovers, compared to their opponents' 20.
They led 36–21 in fast-break points and 14–6 in second-chance points. The gulf in class between the two teams was evident, with Sporting showing their dominance in the paint (46–12) and their bench outscoring UNAM's 44–16.
BOTTOM LINE: Although both teams were making their debut at this level of competition, Sporting de Luanda, hailing from a basketball-rich culture, appeared more polished. Their defence was impressive, restricting UNAM to a single basket in the third quarter and demonstrating their determination.
Sporting de Luanda are favourites to win this group, and given how they overpowered the host club, the Angolans will be looking to do the same when they take on Malawi's Bravehearts on Saturday.
FIBA