Egyptian basketball giants Alexandria Sporting Club (ASC) are at the top of Africa again.
In a triumphant conclusion to the inaugural Africa Women’s Basketball League (AWBL) held on their home turf, Egyptian champions ASC were crowned champions.
The nine-day tournament featured 10 teams vying for the title, and ASC emerged victorious after winning the Africa Champions Cup for Women last year.
Facing Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in the final, a rematch from their earlier Group A clash, ASC dominated the FIBA Africa Zone Five derby for a resounding 103-59 victory. Antony Ojukwu’s KPA settled for silver in their first-ever appearance in the Last Four of a continental competition.
Natalie Mwangale and Victoria Reynolds gave KPA an early 5-0 lead, but Fatou Diagne and Cierra Dillard quickly narrowed the gap.
Despite Ojukwu’s charges maintaining an 11-8 lead midway through the quarter, Dillard’s efforts, including back-to-back layups from skipper Hagar Amer, propelled ASC to a 22-15 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
ASC continued their dominance in the second period, capitalizing on KPA’s turnovers to secure a 35-24 lead. Destiny Pitts extended the lead to 14 with a three-pointer, and by halftime, ASC held a commanding 58-32 lead.
Hagar and Dillard combined for 35 points in the first half, exploiting KPA’s ball-handling issues that resulted in 16 turnovers.
In the second half, ASC maintained their dominance, outscoring KPA 29-17 in the third quarter and closing out the game with a 16-10 performance in the final period.
Skipper Hagar led the scoring with 32 points, while Dillard added 17, securing ASC’s second continental title.
