From Maputo to France's Ligue Feminine with Traore, Coulibaly, Sy and Co

SHEFFIELD (Julio Chitunda's African Message) - Three rounds into the 2013-14 season of France's Ligue Feminine (LFB), a group of AfroBasket Women 2013 players has offered fans some eye-catching performances which serve as a reminder of what they showed in Maputo, Mozambique, where 12 African teams battled for the continental crown.

Senegal's Mame Marie Sy, Astou Traore and Jeanne Madeleine Senghor-Sy as well as Mali's Djene Diawara and Naignouma Coulibaly all featured in the African championship last month although none of them will compete at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey.

While Senegal took the bronze medal but just missed out on the two places on offer for African teams for Turkey 2014, Mali finished outside the podium places, coming in fifth, their worst result at the continental championship since 2005.

Although Traore is one of the few finest African players never to have won the continental trophy, the 32-year-old was named to the All-Tournament Team, having led her national team in scoring with 16.6 points per game.

Traore is making sure to keep her scoring instinct in the LFB, where she has just signed for Hainaut Basket after spending the past five seasons in Spain's Liga Femenina.

On the LFB's opening day, Traore was the only player to score 20 or more points although her 25 points contribution could not prevent Hainaut Basket from losing 80-65 to Nantes Reza.

Similarly to what Traore accomplished in Maputo, she currently leads all LFB players in scoring with 19.3 points per game.

Senegal achieved their 12th consecutive AfroBasket Women podium finish in the past two decades thanks to a rescuing Mame Marie Sy buzzer-beater three-pointer in the Third-Place Game against Cameroon as they prevailed 56-53.

Sy - who currently plays for LFB side Lyon - remains as effective in France's topflight.

On Saturday she registered a staggering 62 percent field goal percentage on her way to a game-high 18 points, and helped Lyon achieve their second win in three games as they beat Lattes Montpellier 70-55.

But Senegal's showpiece did not end with Traore and Sy.

Although Jeanne Senghor-Sy did not get much playing time in Maputo, the 1.90m center is dominating on both ends of the court with her Cavigal Nice Basket 06 team, averaging 10 points and 9.5 boards per game. Only Olayinka Sanni has grabbed more rebounds than Senghor-Sy.

Arras Pays d'Artois Basket's Coulibaly was the leading rebounder in Maputo, grabbing 9.3 boards per game, but it is her offensive game that is making headlines in the LFB.

The Mali international is Arras' second leading scorer with 11.3 points per game behind Dawn Evans who averages 19 points per contest.

Diawara, Coulibaly's partner in crime with Mali, is recovering from a left knee injury suffered in Maputo that prevented her from helping her team in the Second Round.

But she has made significant progress since playing just a minutes in the LFB opener helping her Villeneuve team beat Landes 62-52.

Although Pauline Akonga Nsimbo last played for the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2009, the Hainaut Basket's forward joins Traore as the team second leading scorer with 19 points per game.

It is still early in days in the LFB season, but the performances of Malian and Senegalese players could not be overlooked after a non-break period since the AfroBasket Women 2013.

Julio Chitunda

FIBA

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