CAIRO (Egypt) - As 2023 silver medalists Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) made a return to the Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA), shooting guard Sara Dickey led the side's onslaught for an 83-64 victory over Cameroon's FAP. Dickey and Ivorian international player Alima Doumbia combined for 39 points.
We are still working on our chemistry - Sara Dickey
The American scored a game-high 23 points, shooting 6 out of 11 inside and adding two crucial three-pointers in eight attempts. She missed once from the free-throw line.
Doumbia added 16 point for the dockers. Dickey, who previously played for Egypt sides Misr Insurance and El Tayaran, .had a slow start, scoring three points in the opening quarter that KPA still dominated 23-15.
The former Evansville University star's first trey in the second quarter took the Kenyan side's advantage to double digits (28-17) two minutes in. She shot her second down the stretch to close the quarter on a 21-13 show, KPA taking a 16-point advantage to the halftime break. As FAP mounted a comeback attempt in the final stanza, Dickey scored 14, her eight in the third quarter all but sealing the victory for the Nabil Kabalan-led side. She added seven rebounds, one less than Doumbia who led the charts, adding four steals and three assists for 23 in efficiency rating.
Talking to FIBA.basketball, Dickey said: "We got off to a good start but then in the second half we let up a little bit once we got to lead so that's something we need to improve on. We have to stay locked in for the full 40 minutes but I think we will get better with each game. "Today I was trying to do what the team needed at the time, with a lot of talking especially on defense to keep everyone together and cohesive. We are still working on our chemistry with a few new names on the squad as well as a new coach but I believe we are getting there," Dickey concluded.
FIBA