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MONASTIR (Tunisia) – Morocco edged Cape Verde 72-69 in a fierce victory Thursday at the Mohamed Mzali Olympic Hall to keep their 2021 FIBA AfroBasket qualifying hopes alive.
The celebrations at the end of the match marked the mood for the Atlas Lions camp as they congratulated themselves on a good job well done after improving their win rate to 1-3 and now maintaining their hopes of qualification.
Abdelali Lahrichi sank 22 points and seven rebounds to guide Morocco to an important victory while Soufiane Kourdou and Soufiane Benhmine added 15 and 11 points in that order for the Atlas Lions.
“WE ARE OUTSTANDING. THIS WAS A VERY IMPORTANT WIN FOR US. WE WORKED HARD TO GET THERE. OUR GOAL WAS TO GET THE WINNER INITIALLY AND TO TRY POSSIBLY TO EXCEED THE MEAN IF WE WERE NOT GOING TO REACH IT. TO BE REACHED AT THE END. I AM VERY. “
Morocco, who sit at the bottom of Group E, are desperate to return to FIBA AfroBasket but a bad start last November pushed them against the wall and subjected them to not having things in their hands.
However, Thursday’s victory means they have awakened a sleeping giant and positioned themselves to turn the tables and dictate their future. Naoufal Al Uarichi’s men looked on the bright side from the moment they arrived in Tunisia.
Cape Verde led 23-16 in the first quarter in a very physical game that saw the islanders master the pace of the game but the Moroccans slowly improved their defense in the second half to lay the groundwork for a comeback to lead 36-33 at the match. half-time break.
Jeff Xavier was one of three Cape Verdean players to have been fouled
In the third quarter, the Moroccans failed to find a solution for the Cape Verdean zonal defense, the latter ahead of them 21-8 to put themselves in a comfortable position.
However, the situation got out of hand when Kenneti Mendes, Keven Gomes and Ailton Marques were sidelined, endangering the 10-point lead Cape Verde had over Morocco 54-44 at the end of the third. quarter time.
The match which turned out to be a physical fight between the two teams saw the occasional caution from the referees, with both sides looking to win at all costs.
The intensity of Morocco was finally too strong for the Cape Verdeans who are themselves responsible for the loss which puts them in a delicate situation and whose fate does not entirely depend on them.
“We started off with good energy but we played for three quarters. It’s always a long game. We didn’t find enough energy defensively and offensively. They did and that’s why they have won the match, “Xavier told FIBA. basketball.
Morocco head coach Al Uarichi said: “We feel delighted. It was a very important victory for us. We worked hard to get here. We played against a very experienced team with several numbers. Important players. Our goal was initially to win it and ultimately try to exceed the average goal that we failed to achieve in the end. I’m very, very satisfied with the performance of my team. “
Cape Verde are 1-3 in Group E tied with Morocco which they beat 80-73 in the November meeting. Uganda is in second place with two wins while Egypt is in first place undefeated in three games. The final two games will meet at 19:00 GMT on Thursday.
FIBA
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