NAIROBI (kENYA) - South Sudan's Fox Basketball picked an 83-81 overtime win against Zambia's Matero Magic for a consolation victory as their journey in the East Division Elite 16 came to a close 1-2, subjecting the latter to their third defeat for 0-3.
The game was decided in the last 11 seconds of overtime through a Stephen Garbrah's three-pointer. Matero's counter attempt fell short.
Fox's Prince Ifeanyi Chison Orizu drew first blood for Fox but Donovan Lamont Jones scored four to grab the lead for the Zambians. Four minutes in Matero took a four-point lead at 12-9, extending to 16-9 at the halfway mark.
The second part of the quarter, however, belonged to Fox who clawed their way back to level the score at 19, Joel Lukoji Banza and Mayom David Anyak Garang contributing treys for the comeback. The later grabbed the lead for Fox at 20-19 and they never turned back, leading the quarter 27-23.
A 22-15 show for Ajou Deng's charges in the second quarter ensured their dominance, overcoming their slow start with 6-of-14 from behind the arc in the opening half. The tables turned in the third quarter, Matero going on a 7-0 run in the opening three minutes to cut their deficit to four at 49-45. Fox responded with a run of their own for 58-47 but the resilient Zambians fought back to trail 60-56, heading to the final stanza. TURNING POINT: Three trebles in the opening two minutes of the second quarter for Manual Bol Malual in a 11-0 run saw fox lead 38-23 and Manuel Da Silva's charges were left playing catch-up as the quarter ended 22-15, leaving the Zambians 11 points behind (49-38) heading to the halftime break.
All the drama, however, unfolded in the final quarter as Matero fought to level the score at 66, with 4:51 to play with Isaac Kwesi Jr handing the Zambians the lead, for the first time since the first quarter, at 69-66.
The regulation ended tied at 72-all. It was still anyone's game until the final seconds of overtime.
HERO: Akuel Marko Kot was admittedly head and shoulders above his peers, scoring a game-high 24, going on to complete his double-double with 11 rebounds.
STATS DON'T LIE: Fox took care of business on the free-throw line, especially in OT, shooting 77.8% (21 of 27) against Matero's 55.3% who missed 17 of their 38, some in crucial moments that would have otherwise changed the match in their favour.
Matero had struggled to take care of the ball in the opening two matches, turning it over 28 and 20 times on both days but had a better show against Fox with 14. They scored 23 off the South Sudanese 23, helping them recover in the second half for a fighting chance.
THEY SAID: "This loss is down to decision-making on the court. We had the opportunity to win after making a comeback in the second half. Losing Donovan Lamont Jones in the final moments of the fourth quarter also affected our game as he and Saul Phiri had good chemistry and were pushing us ahead. I am, however, taking positives from our run here and from this game as there has been improvement. We talked about our defense, extensively, ahead of today's match and the players executed well," Matero Magic head coach Manuel Da Silva.
"It feels good to win. We knew we were out of contention for a Semis slot coming into this game but we wanted a positive result. Coming into the competition with some new players and coaching staff was tough but we kept improving with each match and the win solidifies our resolve to keep getting better," Fox Basketball head coach Ajou Deng.
FIBA