CAIRO (Egypt) - Destiny Pitts has enjoyed previous success in African basketball, becoming a household name on the continent in the process.
So it was no surprise to see her inspire the reigning Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA) champions, Ferroviario de Maputo, to secure a second consecutive victory in Cairo.
The 'Locomotivas' outclassed Cameroon's FAP 62–43, with Pitts leaving her mark on the game.
The 2023 WBLA champion with Sporting Alexandria showcased her talent, shooting 7-for-16 from the floor, including 4-for-10 from deep, and leading the Mozambican champions with a game-high 18 points.
She also contributed 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, helping Ferroviario de Maputo to take the lead in Group B with a 2–0 record.
Ingvild Mucauro, the other Ferroviario de Maputo to score in double figures, finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Pitts' impressive performance came just 24 hours after she helped her team secure an 85-48 victory over Nigeria's First Bank, marking the largest winning margin at this stage of the competition.
She increased her contribution from 11 to 18 points on Sunday. The difference? She started the game in the starting lineup.
Although FAP did cause some discomfort early on, they were never a match for Ferroviario de Maputo, Pitts admitted. "We got off to a slow start and lacked aggressiveness. The other team played aggressively in defence. We didn't play as hard as we should have in the first quarter, which contributed to our slow start to the game," she said.
When asked how Ferroviario went from a 29–23 lead at halftime to leading by as many as 24 points in the second half, she replied: "We played with more energy and effort. We played as a team and shared the ball. That was the difference."
FAP remain winless after two games in Group B.
FIBA