APR Women BBC defeated Côte d’Ivoire’s FBA 59-49 in the quarterfinals of WBLA 2024 to secure a historic semifinal spot, while REG Women BBC lost to Senegal’s ASCVD in a heartbreaking comeback.
Rwanda’s flag bearers in the 2024 Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) produced mixed emotions on Friday night. APR’s hard-fought fourth quarter earned them a spot in the final four, while REG WBBC’s poor fourth-quarter performance cost them the game.
APR led FBA by a point after the first quarter, 14-13. However, the West Africans surged back, taking the lead in both the second and third quarters, 15-9 and 15-14, to establish a 6-point lead (43-37) before the final period.
Charles Mushumba’s APR fought back to score 22 points in the final quarter while limiting FBA to just 6 points.
Shaina Pellington fueled APR’s 59-49 win over FBA. The 25-year-old Canadian Olympian scored a game-high 21 points, with 13 of those coming from the free-throw line out of 16 attempts.
Kierstan Bell and Italee Lucas contributed 15 and 12 points, respectively.
This is the first time APR Women BBC has reached the semifinals of the African Club Championship. They will face either Senegal’s Jeanne d’Arc or Mozambique’s Ferroviário de Maputo in the semifinals tomorrow, Saturday, December 14, at Marius Ndiaye.
On the other hand, ASCVD knocked out Rwandan champions and Zone V runners-up REG in heartbreaking fashion.
The Rwandan team led after the first three quarters (18-8, 11-15, and 19-12), but it became clear that Julian Martinez’s team would struggle in the final quarter, as the Spanish coach only used six players in the game.
A dynamic and physical Senegalese team dominated REG in the final quarter, outscoring them 20-7 to force overtime.
In overtime, ASCVD, the home team that had rallied from a 13-point deficit in the final quarter, took advantage of REG’s struggle with only six players and outscored them 6-2 to clinch a 61-57 victory and advance to the semifinals.
REG WBBC failed to replicate their achievement from last season, when they reached the semifinals in Egypt.
ASCVD will face Egypt’s Al Ahly in the second semifinal game.
