Ferroviaro Maputo Crowned Champions Of Africa After Sensational Final Performance Against Al Ahly

Ferroviaro Maputo Crowned Champions Of Africa After Sensational Final Performance Against Al Ahly

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As usual, Raneem Elgadawy opened the scoring for AL Ahly from the first possession. Then Silvia Veloso tied the game after she stole the ball and went on a fast break. This was an indication of the defensive intensity that Ferroviaro Maputo was going to bring to the final. They then followed this up with a 10-0 run to announce that they were present and meant business. Anabela Cossa erupted for 12 first quarter points when she completed an and-one play, went 3/3 on the line and knocked down 2 shots from beyond the arc. Al Ahly scrambled defensively to contain her.

Maputo also caught fire very early on from beyond the arc with some impressive shooting by Anabel Cossa, Ingvild Mucauro and Silvia Veloso. However, Al Ahly tried to break down this Mozambican defense and get comfortable in the paint and then kick out to the perimeter when the defense collapsed, but this Mozambican defense did not let up and played with a very high intensity. They let their defense dictate their offense and it bore positive results as their offense flowed seamlessly, giving them a 26-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Breanna Richardson of Al Ahly came off the bench towards the end of the first quarter and scored 4 quick points. She was then the person her team looked to in the second quarter to cut the deficit and she did that by scoring another 9 points.

Maputo had an answer of their own in the second quarter with Silvia Veloso who continued her hot streak from the first quarter when she scored 2 more 3-pointers. Maputo was shooting at a great rate from beyond the arc while AL Ahly’s struggles continued from beyond the arc as they only scored 1 from 6 attempts. Despite this, Al Ahly managed to close the gap to just 9 points with the halftime score at 46-38. Breanna Richardson led Al Ahly at the half with 13 points while Maputo had 3 players in double figures for scoring. Namely Silvia Veloso (13points). Ingvild Mucauro (10 points) and Anabela Cossa (12 points).

The second half got off to a different start. The teams traded 2 quick baskets and then the defensive intensity went up exponentially as there was a dry spell of two minutes with neither registering a single point. The deadlock was then broken by Raneem Elgadawy which released a series of baskets from both sides before Maputo went on a 14-0 run to take the score to 64-44 with just under 3 minutes remaining in the quarter.

Ingvild Mucauro added 8 more points to her tally when she dropped a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left of the quarter from a Silvia Veloso pass. Silvia Veloso who is the league leader in assists showed just why that is. Nadine Mohamed scored 6 points in this half to take her tally to double digits. The teams went into the fourth quarter with the score at 67-50 to Maputo. Despite this lead, they knew not to be complacent as Al Ahly made a comeback in the semifinals after being down 11 points in the fourth quarter against ASC Ville de Dakar.

The fourth quarter started with a defensive masterclass from both teams as it took almost 2 minutes for the deadlock to be broken. It was broken by none other than Raneem Elgadawhy when she converted her two free-throws. It was immediately replied to with a 3-point shot by Cecilia Henriques from a Destiny Pitts assist. Al Ahly went on a 9-2 run to bring the game to within 11 points. Then the two teams began to trade baskets which was fine with Maputo as this would maintain their lead while eating at the clock.

However, Al Ahly made the run they knew they were capable of and brought the game to just two possessions with a minute to go and the score at 76-72. This was very encouraging for them. They had a clear mandate; to foul early in the possession so they have more time in the possession, but Maputo held tight and converted their free-throws while capitalizing on a rushed offense by Al Ahly. They sealed the deal when Silvia Veloso converted both her free-throws with 11 seconds to go. That is when celebrations began from their bench as they realized that they have just closed off the competition with a gold medal. Raneem Elgadawy scored 19 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while her teammates Ndioma Kané scored 16 points and had 9 blocks, and Breanna Richardson had 19 points.

However, Silvia Veloso of Maputo stuffed the stats sheet with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. She had 3 other teammates who also recorded double digits in scoring, namely Ingvild Mucauro (18 points, 7 rebounds and 7 steals, Anabela Cossa (13 points) and Carla Covane (16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks).

The ladies from Mozambique will fly back to Maputo with bragging rights and a heavier luggage as they have to carry more silverware with them.

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[Photography/ Imagery Courtesy of FIBA]