DAKAR (Senegal) - South Sudan recorded their second win in Group A of the FIBA AfroBasket 2025 Qualifiers on Saturday, trouncing Mali 85-60.
It was South Sudan's second largest winning margin since demolishing DR Congo 101-58 in the second round of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers on August 27, 2022 in Monastir, Tunisia.
Atem Kuany Kuany led the way for South Sudan, finishing with a game-high of 17 points; Dhieu Deing added 13 points and Junior Madut contributed 12 points to help Luol Deng's men improve to 2-0 in Group A.
Tamandjan Konate and Fousseyni Drame, the only two Malians to score in double digits, finished with 15 and 10 points, respectively.
TURNING POINT: There were two moments that marked the story of South Sudan's second win in Group C.
The first one was Mali's 13-0 scoring run that canceled out Nuni Omot's opening basket right at the beginning of the game. At that stage of the game Tamandjan Konate and Siriman Kanoute were Mali's main weapons, combining three three-pointers that helped Mali close the first quarter with a 19-15 lead.
Then, South Sudan responded with a 15-0 scoring run of their own not before Atem Kuany Kuany's acrobatic drive levelled the game up at 25-25. South Sudan then embarked on a 9-0 run (34-25) to send the Bright Stars to halftime with a 39-32 halftime advantage.
Although Mali showed signs of trying to change the course of events, South Sudan's team talk at the break sentenced the game as they never trailed again while leading by as many as xx points in the seance half.
HERO: Atem Kuany Kuany not only inspired South Sudan's comeback, but he gave his all, finishing as South Sudan hero for the day.
STATS DON'T LIE: Even before halftime, South Sudan had already capitalised from Mali's poor ball handling as they scored 16 points off five Mali's turnovers.
But the biggest difference, and, maybe, the most impactful was the bench's productivity. South Sudan's bench outscored Mali's 48-11.
BOTTOM LINE: Mali had a promising start of the game, and, just like their slow start against Morocco, South Sudan could only retake the lead in the second to record their second win in as many games.
Mali dropped their second game in a row, and are headed to Sunday's must-win clash against Morocco with a lot of improvement to make, especially on the offensive game's coordination. They played a decent transition game, but tactically there's still a bit to be desired. 8 assists in the first half, followed by 7 in the second half.
THEY SAID: "We need to go back to the drawing board and try to figure out what things we didn't do well. We are as good as teams like South Sudan or DR Congo." - Mali forward Fousseyni Drame.
FIBA