Sunday, December 15 Final Ferroviario de Maputo 81-72 Al Ahly Sporting Mozambican powerhouse Ferroviario de Maputo were Sunday, December 15, crowned champions of the 2024 Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA) after beating Egypt’s Al Ahly Sporting Club 81-72 in the final to lift the trophy inside the Marius Ndiaye Arena in Dakar. The Nasir Salé-coached side had missed out on the 2023 edition of the African competition in Egypt but made a strong comeback to the big stage in Dakar to cap off the campaign with a champions' silverware. African 2019 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ingvild Mucauro put up a man-of-the-match performance, despite fouling out in the crucial last two minutes of the match, to lead the team to victory with 18 points, seven rebounds and as many steals, adding four assists for a game-high 25 in efficiency. The Mozambicans who led by 13 after the first half allowed the Egyptians a 23-19 second quarter to cut their deficit to eight. A 21-12 run that saw Mucauro score eight with the team adding four more steals to their first quarter had the Egyptians carry a 17-point burden to the last 10 minutes. ALSO READ: APR women claim bronze at WBLA 2024 The Arena got divided right in the middle for the last stanza, Ndioma Kané getting half of her countrymen to go wild as she led Al Ahly SC in a 9-2 run for 72-61 before coach Salé got Carla Covane and Mucauro back on the floor before the latter fouled out with about two minutes of play. With victory in sight, nothing could stop Ferroviario as they held on to win the final in style. Silvia Veloso may have finished with a game-high 33 in efficiency after dropping 18 points and 11 rebounds to complete the only double-double for her side in the final. But Mucauro deserves a mention for her numbers as does Carla Covane who scored 16 and was a rebound shy off a double-double. Al Ahly SC dominated most crucial numbers, the paint 48-32, 18-7 on second chance points, and 24-12 off the bench but were outdone 23-12 on fast breaks. The champions also shot 71.4% off the free-throw line. After a third-place finish in their last appearance in 2022 on home soil, Ferroviario de Maputo came back to emerge winners, picking their third title in Africa.
