Egypt pick statement win over Central Africa Republic

 

CAIRO (Egypt) - Five consecutive three point shots in the opening quarter gave hosts, Egypt, a dream start in Group D against Central Africa Republic (CAF) in the sides' opening match at the ongoing FIBA AfroBasket Qualifiers. 

Placed in Group D alongside 2021 AfroBasket silver medalists Cote d'Ivoire and Madagascar, the Pharaohs are the highest-ranked team in the opening window of the Qualifiers and their superiority was on display as they dismantled Lautie Sylvain's side, 76-61, with ease. 

Scoring 21 of their 43 points in the opening half from three-pointers, the hosts had sent a strong statement and CAF's second half rally did little to threaten the hosts.

TURNING POINT: From the get go it was coach Henrik Rödl's charges who called the shots and a 29-15 first quarter performance was enough yo give them great cushion against an Evans Ganapamo powered CAF.

Egypt managed to slow down the menacing Bangui Sporting forward who had scored 17 in the opening half, a run coach Rödl admitted was troublesome for his side. Ganapamo finished with a game-high 27 points. 

STATS DON'T LIE: 24 turnovers for coach Lautie Sylvain's charges CAF resulted in 26 points for the home side, the tactician placing the blame on that one statistic for the loss.

Despite Egypt turning the ball over 17 times, CAF were unable to capitalise on that, managing only 8 points from the said number.

Off the court, CAF had half of their squad arriving in Cairo hours before their match and their performance reflected that especially in the second half.

GAME HERO: The experienced Anas Mahmoud put up a team-high 19 points, assisting thrice and picking 7 rebounds, 4 of his side's 6 blocks and 2 steals to propel the hosts to victory. 

BOTTOM LINE: Home court advantage, Anas admits, will play a part in their campaign as they look to go undefeated in a group they headline as per the power rankings but face tough opposition, especially reigning silver medalists Cote d'Ivoire, a side they play on the final day of the window. 

WHAT WAS SAID: "It was a tough physical match that came down to ball handling, which we did not do well in. We turned the ball over too many times and got punished for it. We have to correct on that heading to the next match." CAF head coach Lautie Sylvain.

"It was an okay game. Our transition was good in the first half but we made a few mistakes down the stretch that put us under pressure. In the sword half we had to find a way yo stop their top scorer (Ganapamo) who was doing most of the damage and I must admit he is a tough player to guard. All our targets for the match were mostly achieved and we hope to build on this start in the upcoming matches." Egypt head coach Henrik Rödl.

FIBA