First Bank Basketball Club of Lagos have qualified for the quarter-finals of the African Women Clubs’ Basketball Championship in Maputo, Mozambique with a game to spare.
Though the team will still play their last group match against INSS of DR Congo on Wednesday, The Elephant Girls are already through to the last eight.
This came after they extended their winning streak to three games with an 86-56 victory over Lakers of Zimbabwe on Monday.
First Bank started with an 8-0 run in the opening six minutes of the first quarter and stretched the lead to 16 points with 4:26 minutes left.
Jasmine Nwajei, who has been on fire at the 2018 FIBAACW in Maputo, again led the way with 20 points and 3 rebounds with two 3 pointers in the first half of the game.
She came off the bench to score 60% of her FG and 6/10 from the line in 19 minutes.
Like in the game against Kenya Ports Authority, First Bank took control from the first quarter on the offensive board which ended 27-8.
Nwajei shot her second 3-pointer just before the buzzer sound heading to half time and First Bank held on to a 25-point lead at half time.
Malaika Green shot 13 points, 2 assists of 50% of her FG and 1 of 3 from the arc, while Nkechi Akashili scored 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals to go with it in 21 minutes played for First Bank.
Aisha Mohammed made a huge contribution in her first game for First Bank coming off the bench to score 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.
In 22 minutes played, Mohammed made 62.5% of her FG and 4 of 7 from the free throw line.
Despite out-rebounding Lakers (59-34), Elephant Girls committed 24 turn overs, 9 more suffered by their opponents.
The Lakers outscored the Nigerian team in the third quarter 20-11 to reduce the deficit to 16 points.
However, they were reduced to just 12 points in the last quarter as First Bank exerted their dominance yet again to seal their third straight win.
