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MONASTIR (Tunisia) – The second day of February of the 2021 FIBA AfroBasket Qualifiers in Monastir was marked by South Sudan’s qualification for the final round and the decision to postpone Uganda’s matches due to health concerns .
The South Sudanese were caught in a difficult position at the break, trailing by 15, but they rose from the ashes to beat Mali 69-65 in Wednesday’s highly anticipated Group D clash.
South Sudan beat Mali for second time in FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers
For a team that failed against mainland powerhouse Nigeria less than 24 hours earlier, being able to regroup and secure a victory that keeps them second in the group with a 3-2 record with one game to go, that says a lot about the growth of South Sudanese as a team.
Even more impressively, South Sudan came back by 20 points at one point to lead by as many as seven points later in the game.
Sadio Doucoure, Ibrahim Djambo and Ibrahim Saounera combine for 37 points in Mali, but the game belonged to Kuany Ngor Kuany who inspired South Sudan with a record 21 points.
With just one more game in the qualifiers, South Sudan (3-2) and Mali (2-3) for FIBA AfroBasket 2021.
Earlier today, Morocco knew they had to beat Cape Verde to maintain their 2021 AfroBasket aspiration, and that’s exactly what they did with a 72-69 victory.
And although Abdelali Lahrichi punctuated the Moroccans with a record 22 points, Soufiane Benhmine became the game changer after he buried two crucial three-pointers in the last 43 minute of the game.
Benhmin finished with 12 points and three assists as Morocco tied Cape Verde for third in Group E with a 1-3 apiece, although Cape Verde beat Morocco by seven points (80-73 ) in the first round last November.
“We have two more games to play, and we are going to deal with it one game at a time. We are going to stay focused and humble,” Benhmin said in the post-match press conference.
He went on to explain that they didn’t care about the score at the end of the third when they were trailed by ten: “We are here to have victories and hopefully we will be in Rwanda. [for the FIBA AfroBasket 2021]. This is the main objective.
For Nigeria, leaders of Group D, business went as usual as they went undefeated in five games thanks to a 64-51 triumph over Rwanda.
Meanwhile, the second Group E match between Egypt and Uganda was canceled due to health issues.
According to FIBA: “The decision was taken after five members of the Ugandan delegation tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Monastir, although members of the delegation provided previous negative tests.”
FIBA
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