First Bank Basketball Club continued their beautiful run with another comfortable 54-43 win over GSP of Algeria at the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women in Luanda, Angola.
The drama-filled matched started on a sour note for the
Elephant Girls, who looked jaded in the first quarter, which the Algerian won
comfortably 22-7. The break gave the Nigerian girls some respite, coming out
better in the second quarter with a strong defensive display, which confounded
the Algerians, who were now on the receiving end of a rejuvenated performance
by the Nigeria side.
It was no surprise
when the Nigerian took the second quarter 11-6 to reduce the deficit, but the
Algerian side still went into the break with a 28-18 point lead. However, at
the resumption of the third quarter, the diligence of the Elephant Girls paid
off as they took the quarter 14-6 but still trailed the Algerians 34-32. At this point, it was clear that the momentum
had shifted to the Nigerian side who took full advantage to win the fourth
quarter 22-9 for a cumulative score of 54-43.
This was the sort
of performance Coach Peter Ahmedu had demanded from his girls and they
responded with finesse in yesterday’s game, extinguishing any hope of a
revenge, which the Algerians might have had before the game. GSP also lost to
First Bank last year in Maputo, Mozambique. Ahmedu said he had to change to an
ultra-defensive tactics to wear down the Algerian, who looked to be coasting
home to victory in the tense encounter. He stated that the players took to
instruction after falling behind in the first quarter and commended them for
putting up a good fight. First Bank plays host Inter Club of Angola today to
decide which team tops group A.
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