How it went on Day 2 of the 2023 FIBA U16 African Championship

 

MONASTIR (Tunisia) – Two more teams - Angola and Guinea - made their 2023 FIBA U16 African Championship debut in Monastir on Friday, on the day that Mali became the only team to improve to 2-0. 

Below is a rundown of how the games went on Day 2 of the championship.

MOROCCO V GUINEA (GROUP B)

Guinea made a resounding impression on the court, recording a 95-62 win over Morocco on Day 2 of the tournament. 

Three Guinea players - Araphan Diane, Gassim Toure, and Mohamed Lamine Toure - recorded double-double contributions each.

Diane had 16 points and 20 rebounds, Toure contributed 27 points and 10 rebounds, Lamine Toure made his presence felt with 15 points and 21 points, and Sekou Toure left his mark off the bench after making 8 of his 12 field-goals en route to 18 points.

From the beginning of the game, the Guineans took charge and never let go of it till the end.

Guinea center, Araphan Diane expressed joy at winning their first game in the tournament. He told FIBA.basketball that the victory over Morocco did not come as a surprise because they have worked hard to be here in Monastir.

"This victory is good for us and I am proud of my teammates for their efforts. I personally came here prepared to give my best to the team and I am glad we won. We will take every game as it comes."

However, Morocco's Omar Karem must be commended for being the arrow head with his 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists while Rayane Solhi contributed 12 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist.

Morocco captain Sofiane El Bazini said his team was not disappointed with the loss given the short period of their preparation. "We're a new team and we hope to get better. This is a learning stage for us and we hope to do better as the games progresses, El Bazini told FIBA.basketball.

RWANDA v MALI (GROUP A)

East African side Rwanda gave title contenders Mali a good run for their money on Friday inside the Salle Mohamed Mzali Arena, Monastir.

Though Mali escaped unhurt at the end of the encounter with a slim win of 76-72, they had to dig deep to keep their heads up to go 2-0 on Day 2.

 

For the second day running, Mali's center Mahamadou dit Kouye Diop led the floor with a game high double-double 23 points, 26 rebounds, and Alassane Doucoure added 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Point guard Chectare Baradji who contributed 6 points said their best was yet to come. "Personally, I didn't play as well as I would have loved to but I'm grateful Mali still won. Rwanda gave us a tough time and we weren't ready for their defense coupled with the fact that we had too many turnovers."

On the part of Rwanda's shooting guard, Juru Cedrick Ntigurigwa who had a double-double score of 16 points, 10 rebounds, said Rwanda lost the game in the first quarter because they were afraid.

"The height of the Mali team scared us in the beginning which cost us a 17-12 trail but our coaches told us that despite their size, we should go out and play our game without fear. Unfortunately, by the time we got our acts together it was too late. We will keep up the fight in our subsequent games to get the wins we deserve."

COTE D'IVOIRE v ANGOLA (GROUP A)

Cote d'Ivoire suffered a second defeat - 78-58 - in the hands of Angola.

A faulty start in the game left them trailing as much as 12-2 in the first few minutes of the game and by the end of the first quarter, Angola stretched their lead by 20-13.

 

The second quarter was no different as Angola maintained a 25-17 lead to bring scores at half time to 45-30. The start of the third quarter brought out the fighting spirit of the Ivoriens as they came out smoking and ready to bite. They took the quarter 20-18 against Angola.

However, the Angolans didn't allow the resurgence of Cote d'Ivoire halt their game plan as they benefitted from 25-14 second chance points in the course of the game and opened up the game in the last quarter at 15-8.

Celestino Augusto, who played for 29:41 minutes, led the floor with a game-high score of 26 points, 20 rebounds, and an efficiency rate of 36. His compatriot Paulino Eduardo scored 15 points to put Angola on a good start.

Angola point guard Wellington Barros noted that Cote d'Ivoire are a good team but that his side were better prepared and ready for the game. "This is a good win for Angola and Cote d'Ivoire also is a good team but we work better to win today."

Shooting guard, Mamadou Sako of Cote d'Ivoire says he feels sad that they lost to Angola as they faced a difficult side. "I am sad that Angola win but for us, it was a difficult game."

CHAD v EGYPT (GROUP B)

Game is rescheduled for July 18.

Meanwhile, Chad and Uganda will face off on Saturday, July 15.

FIBA