Al Ahly punch ticket to finals after surviving ASC Ville de Dakar

The game got off to a firing start with a 3-point shot from Fatou Pouye that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Moments later the crowd was treated to another 3-point shot but this time by Raneem Elgadawy in retaliation to the first. The game went stale for a short while before Ville de Dakar broke the deadlock. The two teams traded baskets before the local team took the lead and began running with it.

Foune Sissoko opened her account with a few baskets before her teammate, Kamite Dabou, took over to extend the lead to 7 with the score at 18-11. The support from the home fans with their fanfare gave them much of the confidence they needed to assert themselves in this game. However, they knew that they needed to make adjustments to stop Raneem Elgadawy as she had 7 of her team’s 11 points in the first quarter.

Neither team was giving up any inch defensively. The moments that proceeded were very interesting and kept the fans on their feet as Ndioma Kané [Al Ahly] hit a lay-up followed by a 3-point shot by Kamite Dabou and then a crowd-pleasing 3 pointer by Breanna Richardson in retaliation. This series of events drove the crowd berserk as they could not believe what they had just witnessed. Despite this great display of basketball, Ville de Dakar was still leading by 7. Madjiguene Sene changed the scene when she had 7quick points to bring her team to within 2 points. It was then Raneem Elgadawy’s3 towards the end of the quarter that gave Al Ahly a 1-point lead heading into the half with the score at 32-31.

ASC Ville de Dakar did not let the end of the first half dictate how they would start the second. Couna Ndao opened the half with a 3-pointer from a Kamite Dabou assist. It took another 2 minutes before either team would score again and this time by Foune Sissoko who extended her team’s lead. There then began a trade of baskets that kept the game evenly matched before Ville de Dakar went on a run to take a 51-40 lead into the final quarter.

With their backs against the wall, Al Ahly knew that they could rely on only defense to get them out of this hole they had dug themselves in. They did just that as they scored 25 points and allowed only 13. They took a 4-point lead towards the end of the quarter that gave them a bit of breathing space before the 3-pointer came in from Andreona Keys of Ville de Dakar to bring the game to within 1 point but it was too little too late as Al Ahly held on for the last 7 seconds to secure a 65-64 win and an incredible turnaround in front of a packed arena chanting against them. Kamite Dabou ended the game with 20 points and Foune Sissoko with 15 for ASCVD but that was not enough as Al Ahly had 3 players in double digits. Namely Breanna Richardson (12 points), Raneem Elgadawy (14points) and Ndioma Kané (18 points).

The eagles from Cairo will now look to make history in this second edition of the WBLA as they have now secured their spot in the finals. If they win, they will be the second Egyptian team to do so after Sporting Alexandria won the first installment.

[Photography / Imagery Courtesy of FIBA]