PRAIA (Cape Verde) - Desperate to save their campaign, Kriola Star prevailed 45-42 in overtime.
It was a game that could have gone either way, but Kriola Star weren't prepared to drop their second in a row in front of a loud home crowd.
Zidania Ribeiro hit a go-ahead three-pointer to give Kriola Star a 39–38 lead with 52 seconds remaining, sending the home fans into a frenzy.
However, when it seemed that the Cape Verdean team had won, Fireball's Kankou Traoré was awarded two free throws with six seconds left. She made one and missed the other, sending the game to overtime.
Having trailed by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, Kriola Star proved stronger in the additional five minutes, registering their first ever victory in an international competition.
Ribeiro led her team in scoring with 18 points, while her teammate Kelly Pires sank three three-pointers to finish with 11.
Credit must also go to Fireball, a team that could only field five players throughout the game due to eligibility issues.
Fanta Sidibe led the heroic quintet with 18 points and a tournament-record 27 rebounds, while her teammate Kankou Traoré contributed 11 points and 17 rebounds.
Fireball went one step further by setting a tournament-high of 79 rebounds.
"This is a learning process for us as a team. When I saw my team trailing, I knew I had to do something to turn things around. When the opportunity arose in overtime, I made sure to stay calm and score," said Ribeiro.
"The key to our victory was never giving up and keeping on fighting. This was a very important win. Two of our players couldn't play, but we managed to stick together. This was an exceptional win for Kriola Star," Ribeiro concluded.
FIBA