Elalfy flips the switch to help lead Egypt over Angola, Algeria claim first win

 

ANTSIRABE (Madagascar) - The Egyptian team was tested by Angola and they passed with flying colours in the final game of Group B in the FIBA U18 Women's African Championship on Monday at the Gymnasae Couvert D'Antsirabe.

For the first two quarters the defending champions were made to sweat by the Angolans, but the defending champions class shone and they triumphed 67-50.

Forward Jana Elalfy proved to be the difference for Egypt. After sitting out most of the game with foul trouble and battling to find her footing when she came back in the third quarter she flipped the switch in the fourth quarter to finish the game with a team high 17 point and also crashed 14 boards.

In the first quarter slick centre Jana Sallman, who finished with 13 points, worked her magic in the paint and gave the North Africans their first six buckets. While for Angola point guard  Arminda Sindalawa and guards Arminda Joaquim and Nadejda Domingos  were effective scorers in the high tempo encounter.

Only a point separated both teams at the end of the quarter with Angola up 18-17.

In the first three minutes of the second quarter the score had not changed, both were battling to get into their rhythms.  There were errors at both ends of the court as the game became more scrappy.

Free throws from Angola's Sara Kondaponi  opened the scoring in the second quarter, the Southern Africans would score two more points within four minutes, leading to Egyptian coach  Mostafa Hadhood calling a time-out to try and settle his team.  Before the time-out  Egypt t had only managed a jump shot  from  Laila Khalifa. The guard  would score another two after the time-out by driving through an open lane to make it 26-23.

The defending champions would score two more buckets to lead the game by a point 27-26 at the end of the quarter.

In the second half Egypt found their stride as Angola seemed run of steam and were able go on a 10 point run 37-27, but Sindalawa scored six points will her team back into the game. It would be Egypt who finish in the ascendancy 42-37.

Egypt upped the ante in the final quarter with Elalfy dropping 14 points against the Angolans, who at this point had lost their initiative.

TANZANIA OVERCOME GUINEA

The energetic Tanzanian team got a deserved victory 62-52 over Guinea in their final game of Group B.

Guards Rehema Mhina (16) and Paulina Mollel ( 15) were the leading scores in a game the Tanzanians would dominate from the second quarter onwards.

After taking a 13-5 lead in the first five minutes, but the Guineans showed some character in the remaining five minutes and fought their way back from being eight points down in a quarter that ended 19-16 in favour of Tanzania. 

The West Africans somehow forgot that character in the first quarter, as they allowed Tanzania to run riot for a good part of the game. 

They did try to stage a mini fightback through their leading  scorers skilful forward Nafisatou Diack who contributed 14 points and Nana Soumah, who had 12 points.  Although the Tanzanians tempo had slowed they had built enough of a lead to secure the 10 victory.

MALI STAY PERFECT

Mali wrapped up their Group A campaign with a perfect record after their 87-40 win over host nation Madagascar.

Twenty eight points from star player and forward Maimouna Haidara, who has been a consistent performer the for the Malians and 16 from Kamite Dabou saw the West Africans get the 47 point victory.

The Malagasy who were cheered on by the always lively home crowd, did not have kind of playing personnel to pose a threat to their opponents.

After defeats to Mali and Uganda, and a win against Algeria, Madagascar finished second in Group A and are likely to get a favourable draw for the knock out stages. 

ALGERIA PREVAIL IN TENSE CLASH WITH UGANDA

Algeria knew a victory against Uganda on the final day of the group stages  against Uganda was a must heading into the knockout stages of the FIBA  U18 Women's African Championship on Monday.

The Group A encounter delivered in terms of suspense and intensity and in the end it was Algeria, who kept their cool in the dying minutes game clinch morale boosting 72-69.

Clutch jump shot from shooting guard Doua Yahiaoui, who had a game and team 16 points and a three pointer from forward swung the game in Algeria's favour in the fourth quarter.

 Algeria's floor general  Douae Boumerkhoufa took the game to the Ugandan's and in the first quarter had eight points, six of which came from three point range.  Algeria at that point had a 13-5 lead, but the Ugandan's cut that lead with a five point run. Free throws from Sarah Namale and Sylvia Nantongo's lay up and single free throw. Algeria would finish quarter 15-10 up.

In the second quarter the North Africans, looked they would stretch against Uganda, who were struggling get into their flow. Algeria in the second minute had a 36-27 lead but Uganda found a second wind with a jump shot by Christine Namyalo, four points by Darlene Tashyoba and four points by Namukwaya completing Uganda's fightback. Algeria were still in the lead 38-36.

The second half saw a fight to the finish and saw the lead change seven times just in the third quarter alone. Guard Mimouni, who was second scoring  (14) for her team, had eight points in that contributed to Algeria being 54-51 up and had three steals at the end of the quarter.

Algeria held their nerve in the final quarter as the game went to the wire. The lead would change two more times before the North Africans seized the initiative. Yahiaoui would drop seven points, which include the jump shot which made it 69-66 and Merzkane scored six points, that included the three pointer that ensured victory for Algeria. 

 FIBA