Angola shock Senegal, advance to Semi-Final

ANTANANARIVO (Madagascar) - Angola have outrun title contender Senegal in the 2022 FIBA U18 African Championship Quarter-Final to reach the final four of the competition.

They will face Egypt in a bid to clinch one of the two tickets on offer for African teams for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.

Angola have succeeded where others have failed. In fact, by winning their Quarter-Final 67-64, they become the first nation at the 2022 FIBA U18 African Championship to overcome Senegal.

Angola led from start to finish and manage a 20-point lead at some point.

They paved the way to victory with a strong, bold statement, which saw them leading 21-13 at the end of the first quarter.

But Senegal had other plans. Counting on Ousmane Ndiaye, Mouhamed Faye and Max Ndiaye, they held on for the three quarters (21-14, 14-10, 16-14).

These efforts were to no avail, as Senegal's coach Parfait Adjivon puts it. "They were more realistic than we were. For example, at this level of the competition, we can't go around making 44.5% of free-throws and expect to win."

For Angola, this win brings into the limelight the teamwork that was put to test. "It's not just the job of one player. Everyone contributed to it," says Angola's head coach Apolinario Paquete.

Angola's success was also built by Marcelo Joao, who alone accounted for 22 points, followed by Aloisio Andrade (12 points).

They were the most prolific scorers for the Southern Africans. Similarly, their defence was alert, as Angola caught 12 steals and denied the point 4 times. Plus they had less turnovers than their opponents.

"We knew it would be a tough game. We were just a bit more careful. We neutralized their key players, and we played our game. This is what gave us the victory," Paquete said.

Now that they're through to the last four, they feel invincible, even though they will face African powerhouse Egypt.

And does the coach have any anti-Egypt plan up his sleeve ?

"For the time being, not really. We'll think about it and try something during training. But we're not afraid of them." Angola will face Egypt on Friday for a spot in the Finals.

FIBA