First Bank Basketball Club kept their 2025 FIBA Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) campaign alive after edging F.A.P Women 58–52 in their final Group B match at the Prince Abdallah Al Faisal Sports Hall in Cairo.
The victory — their first in the tournament after back-to-back defeats in their opening two games — keeps the Nigerian side in contention for a quarter-final place through the best-third-placed qualification route.
With one win and two losses, First Bank BC will now wait for results from other groups to determine whether they advance to the last eight as one of the top-performing third-placed teams.
F.A.P Women, on the other hand, crashed out of the competition after suffering their third straight defeat, finishing bottom of the group with no wins.
Despite their difficult start to the tournament, the Elephant Girls showed resilience and urgency in their final outing.
Trailing narrowly heading into the fourth quarter, they produced a dominant 20–12 finish, powered by clutch plays from teenage talent Hembam and a strong scoring outing from Marvellous Chizi Abel, who led First Bank with 15 points.
The game featured 13 lead changes as both teams battled for pride and survival, but First Bank’s improved defensive intensity and a decisive 9–0 run in the final quarter sealed the win and revived their hopes.
Although qualification is no longer in their hands, the Nigerian champions have given themselves a fighting chance.
A favourable set of results from the remaining group matches could see First Bank BC book a spot in the WBLA quarter-finals — a remarkable outcome after a challenging start to their campaign.
 campaign alive after edging F.A.P Women 58–52 in their final Group B match at the Prince Abdallah Al Faisal Sports Hall in Cairo.){kind=link}