BRAZZAVILLE (Republic of Congo) - FAP narrowly defeated ASB Hatari in the second half to secure a four-point victory, while CNSS dominated Overdose Up Station to advance.
Here's how Tuesday's fixtures unfolded in Brazzaville:
Damaris Emédié powers FAP to the Final
In a game of two halves, FAP dominated the first, while the Democratic Republic of Congo's Hatari made a strong comeback attempt in the second.
However, they fell short by just four points, with the final score at 66–62.
Emédié's dominant performance at both ends of the court was crucial for FAP's victory.
Her impressive double-double performance, in which she led the scoring with 27 points (shooting 10-of-21 from inside and 7-of-13 from the line) and pulled down 18 rebounds, was crucial for the team's success.
She also provided two assists and one block, finishing with an efficiency rating of 28 after playing for just over 35 minutes before fouling out.
Her efforts were complemented by Bintou Dramé, who scored 17 points, had six rebounds, made five assists and had four steals, while Marie La Grace Ongmabock was second in rebounding with 11 and added seven points.
After a closely fought opening quarter that ended 20–17 in favour of the eventual winners, the Ange Majolie Lonteu-led side dominated the second quarter 27–12, taking an 18-point (47–29) lead into the second half.
However, Emédié and Dramé, who had dominated the scoring in the opening two periods, seemed to lose their finishing touch in the second half, missing some easy shots as FAP struggled.
They trailed 19–14 in the third quarter, with their lead reduced to just 13 points. The final stanza was even worse, with the Cameroonians managing just five points — all courtesy of Dramé, who scored three times from the free-throw line and once from the field. However, Hatari's 14 points fell short of a comeback.
The game was won on small margins, with FAP capitalising on Hatari's 25 turnovers to score 18 points, compared to the Congolese side's 10 points from 20 turnovers. FAP also won the battle for second chance points 13–4.
CNSS subdue Overdose to book Final slot
Cameroon's Overdose Up Station were no match for the experience of CNSS, who dominated all quarters in a one-sided semi-final to secure a 92–57 victory and a place in their fifth consecutive continental competition.
Five players scored in double digits for the Congolese side, with Djelika Tounkara and Diouma Berthe leading the way.
Tounkara, who left Kenya Ports Authority, where she had spent the previous season, to join CNSS during the qualifiers, continued her spectacular performance for Ravane Khonde Mwimba's team, scoring 24 points and achieving a double-double with 12 rebounds.
She shot 5-of-11 from deep, was perfect from inside (3-of-3), and missed only once in four attempts from the line.
She also made one steal and one block, committing one foul and losing the ball once, to finish with a game-high efficiency rating of 30.
Berthe scored 18 points, 10 of which came from the free-throw line where she missed just twice. She completed a double-double with 11 assists and came a rebound short of a triple-double, adding three steals for an efficiency rating of 25.
Gemina Mabwa (16), Susanne Eben (11) and Ketia Mbelu (10) were the others to score in double digits. Mbelu added seven assists and six rebounds, finishing with an efficiency rating of 19.
CNSS dominated most areas, including the paint (24-10), shooting 10-of-27 from range and achieving a 75 percent conversion rate from the line (18-of-24).
They dominated second chance points 21–8 and fast break contributions 15–6, but their bench was outscored 31–18 by Overdose's.
Finalists qualify for the 2026 WBLA
By reaching the FIBA Africa Zone 4 WBLA qualifiers, both FAP and CNSS earned the right to represent the region at the 2026 WBLA, which will take place in Cairo, Egypt from 11 to 20 December.
FIBA