The FIBA Zone 3 Women’s Championship, a qualifier to the inaugural edition of the FIBA Africa Women’s Basketball League, for elite clubs on the continent will after all be decided on the final day – Tuesday.
Having shown brilliantly, during the opener of the 3-team tournament, which is played on a round robin format; ASPAC Cotonou of the Republic of Benin needed to replicate the form that saw them beat newly crowned champions of Nigeria, Mountain of Fire and Miracles 53-48, on Sunday.
But that was not to be, as the Beninois side was brought down crashing by Nigeria Customs 65-48 dunks, at the MO Arena, in Wuse, Zone 5, Abuja on Monday evening.
The comfortable victory, all but confirmed Nigeria Customs as one of the two teams from Zone-3 that will qualify for the continental finals.
And this is irrespective of the outcome of the finalé, which pits the Customs Ladies against reigning NBBF Women’s Premier League Champions, MFM BC, otherwise called the Shade Olukoua Girls, on Tuesday.
Defeat for the newly crowned Nigerian Champions, means they have lost both games in the round robin; and that rubber stamps the qualification of Nigeria Customs and ASPAC Cotonou as FIBA Zone 3 reps in the finals, scheduled for the Egyptian city of Alexandria, from December 11-19, 2023.
What was to be a five-team championship, was trimmed to three teams after two other teams; Elan Cotonou of Benin Republic, and Nigeria’s Air Warriors of Abuja; who were to compete on none scoring basis, failed to show up for the qualifiers.
Sporting Alexandria, who won the 2022 edition of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women in Maputo and Al Ahly Sporting Club will carry Egypt’s flag throughout the AWBL.
Other teams qualified so far include Kenya’s Kenya Ports Authority, who clinched FIBA Africa Zone 5 qualifier, and Rwanda Energy Group which finished second.
Overdose Up Station and fellow Camerounians Universite Douala have also secured their flights to Alexandria, from Central Africa; while Angolan sides – Primeiro de Agosto and Inter Clube both qualified for the tournament without playing their FIBA Africa Zone 6 qualifiers; and with just about a week to the jump-up, FIBA Africa has promised to release more details such as date for the 2023 AWBL draw.
