ANG - Three in a row for Inter Club

LUANDA (Angola League) - Angolan international Nadir Manuel led Inter Clube de Luanda to their third consecutive title on Thursday night with a 55-45 victory win over rivals Primeiro D'Agosto.

Nadir finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds in the deciding third game of the play-off finals and was named as  the Most Valuable Player of the title series.

D'Agosto only trailed 27-26 at the break but Nadir and Co pulled away in the second half and led by as many as 15 points.

When asked how his team keeps dominating Angolan basketball, and the African game, Inter Clube de Luanda head coach Apolinário Paquete responded: "Many years dedicated to women's basketball."

The title game was supposed to have been played at an earlier date but had to be rescheduled.

The Angolan Basketball Federation needed time to carry out an investigation into what happened during Game 2, when some of the teams' players brawled on the court.

Another Angola international, Nacessela Mauricio, led D'Agosto with 11 points and six rebounds.

Nacessela laments miscues

Nacissela, the MVP of Afrobasket 2011, said D'Agosto were too careless with the ball.

"We turned the ball over so many times, and this cost us," she said to FIBA.com.

"We trailed by as many as 15 points, even though we managed to reduce the deficit to 10 points.

"Inter Clube de Luanda is a very strong team, and we could not afford to make so many mistakes as we did. At least, we learned a lesson.

"Against Inter, one cannot afford to be distracted."

Nacissela say it is now time to rest before thinking about the Olympic Games.

Angola punched their ticket for London with an upset of Mali in the Semi-Finals of the Afrobasket and then a victory over Senegal in the title game.

"We will have a few weeks off now and will wait for the national team to be announced," she said.

"I haven't done any research the teams we may face at the Olympics."

Nacissela says she is taking nothing for granted when it comes to squad selection. 

"I don't even know whether I will be called for the national team," she said.

"Being Afrobasket MVP does not mean I am assured of a place in the national team.

"An MVP has to work as hard as any other player."

The top five players the Angolan finals were named and they included four stars who represented the country at last year's Afrobasket in Mali, players hoping for a spot on the Olympic team.

Inter Clube's Nadir Manuel, Catarina Camufal and Danielle Green (USA) were joined by D'Agosto's Nacissela and Felizarda Jorge as all-star five selections.

The battle for third place in Angola's league was won by Grupo Desportivo do Maculusso, who came in ahead of Juventude da Viana.

Inter Clube, the national police funded club, won their second African club title in December against Nigerian side First Bank. 


FIBA