Astride Gano (CMR) - Cameroon v Gabon, 2015 Afrobasket Women, Yaoundé (Cameroon), Group Phase, 28 September 2015
LUANDA (Olympics 2016) - Two months on since AfroBasket Women 2015 concluded, a number of players have taken to the court for their clubs intent on helping them reach the top of the podium at the Africa Champions Cup for Women (ACCW).
They also have their sights set on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
LUANDA (Olympics 2016) - Two months on since AfroBasket Women 2015 concluded, a number of players have taken to the court for their clubs intent on helping them reach the top of the podium at the Africa Champions Cup for Women (ACCW).
They also have their sights set on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The 2015 ACCW tipped off last Friday in the Angolan capital city of Luanda and runs until Sunday 6 December. In a turn of events, players who had teamed up for their respective countries in Yaounde, Cameroon, are now facing each other at club level.
New Africa champions Senegal are represented in Luanda by Aya Traore, Ramata Daou and Maimouna Diarra, while Cameroon and Nigeria - who clinched the two spots on offer for African teams for the 2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT) - combine to feature a dozen players.
Diarra, who joined Angolan giants Primeiro D'Agosto last month, is on a mission to help the country's national champions win a first ACCW title since 2006.
So far, things are running well for the 1.95m centre who recorded two double-doubles as the Angolan Army-funded club remains perfect with a 4-0 mark.
While the ACCW crown is the piece of silverware at stake in Luanda, Senegalese, Cameroonians and Nigerians players are looking to be at their best in the tournament to maximise their chances of getting called up for national team duties next summer.
That is precisely the case for Cameroon's trio of Astride Gano, Sandrine Ayangma and Priscilla Mbiandja, who are all playing major roles for INJS.
INJS opened their ACCW campaign with two consecutive losses, but Gano then lifted the team to a 55-51 overtime win against hosts Desportivo Maculusso. The 27-year-old shooting guard had game-highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Mbiandja added 11 points off the bench and Ayangma finished with 8 points.
INJS increased their chances of reaching the Quarter-Finals thanks to a 61-54 victory over Burundi's Berco Stars as they improved to 2-2. Gano proved crucial yet again.
Cameroon lost to Senegal in the Final of AfroBasket Women 2015, and are expected to compete in the WOQT for the very first time.
Nigeria, meanwhile, are represented in the ACCW by half of the national team that beat Angola in the Third-Place Game.
While Helen Ogunjimi is yet to be cleared to play for Mozambique's national champions Ferroviario de Maputo, Ndidi Madu has become a major factor for the Southern Africans who upset ACCW reigning champions InterClube de Luanda 64-63 on Day 2 of the competition.
Nigerian side First Bank ranks among the title contenders and Joyce Ekworomadu, Chioma Udeaja and Nkechi Akashili are making sure to help the Nigerian club win its second continental tile since 2009.
Click here for full coverage of the 2015 African Champions Cup Women.
By: FIBA.com
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