Cairo, Egypt – Al Ahly Sporting Club emphatically began its quest for the 2025 Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) title with a convincing victory over FBA of Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday [[1]].The Egyptian club, seeking redemption after finishing as last year’s runner-up, demonstrated its offensive firepower in the 91-62 win, signaling its intent to contend for the championship throughout the tournament [[2]], [[3]]. The team’s performance highlighted a balanced scoring attack and resilience after a competitive first quarter.
CAIRO, Egypt – Al Ahly Sporting Club launched their Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) campaign with a dominant 91-62 victory over Côte d’Ivoire’s Friend’s Basketball Association (FBA) on Saturday.
The Egyptian powerhouse, last year’s WBLA runner-up, showcased a balanced attack with six players scoring in double figures. Raneem Elgedawy sparked the offense off the bench, pouring in 17 points in just over 15 minutes on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting from the field (66.7%).
Elgedawy’s impact was particularly felt in the third quarter, where she scored 11 points after contributing just six in the first half. Despite sitting out the final period, she finished as the team’s leading scorer, one point ahead of Hagar Amer, who registered a double-double with 10 rebounds in under 22 minutes. Elgedawy also added three steals and two rebounds to her impressive stat line.
Nadine Mohamed and Meral Abdelgawad each chipped in with 15 points. Abdelgawad ignited the team early, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to give Al Ahly a 26-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. Rose Macuei and Delicia Washington, a South Sudanese duo, added 13 and 10 points respectively, rounding out a potent offensive performance.
“It was a good game, but as it was our first match, we made a lot of mistakes, especially in the first half,” Elgedawy said. “However, we will review the video tomorrow, make the necessary adjustments, and continue to improve with each game, as our goal is to win this championship.”
Elgedawy also highlighted the team’s resilience after a close first quarter. “In the first quarter, they reduced the gap to two points, but we simply defended better, played hard without worrying about the score, stayed focused, and played together until the final whistle,” she concluded. The decisive win sets a strong tone for Al Ahly as they pursue the WBLA title.
FIBA
