TRIPOLI (Libya) - Shannon Evans and Ousmane Drame were unstoppable as Guinea picked a crucial victory over Kenya to book their ticket to August 2025 AfroBasket.
Both sides came into the clash needing a win to qualify, and coach Nedeljko Asceric's men proved the better side, picking a 57-44 victory that takes them to their third AfroBasket in a row.
Evans and Drame scored 20 and 19 respectively, the latter completing his double-double with 10 rebounds in just over 31 minutes. Guinea finish third on eight points, two more than Kenya Morans who forfeited their opening match of the final qualifying window, against defending champions, Tunisia.
TURNING POINT: Guinea raced to an early 8-0 lead as Kenya's missed six attempts from distance and thrice on the paint before Fidel Okoth opened the scoring for the East Africans halfway through the opening quarter and with that, there was no turning back.
Ousmane Drame and Abdoulaye Sy's back-to-back treys and a midrange jumper from the latter saw Guinea lead 25-12 with about three minutes to half time, Kenya taking the difference down to ten (31-21) at the end of the second period off a Albert Odero three.
Two treys and a Eugene Adera basket brought Kenya to within four points at 33-29 but Drame and Shannon Evans went up thrice from behind the arc to restore status quo at 43-33. Kenya who had carried a seven-point deficit to the final quarter allowed Drame to go back-to-back from range to restore Guinea's double digits advantage at 51-38.
The final five minutes had both sides locked in a scoreless exchange of possession, down to the last minute.
GAME HERO: Drame and Evans dropped ten of Guinea's 11 treys, pulling their side away in crucial moments when Kenya came threateningly close.
STATS DON'T LIE: Guinea were the better side on threes, dropping 11 of 28 against Kenya's four in the same number of attempts.
BOTTOM LINE: Guinea will be out to improve on their eighth place finish from the 2021 edition. Kenya, who were looking to make back-to-back appearances since their 2021 return after a 28-year absence, are back to the drawing board.
THEY SAID: "I am proud of my team. We came here for three wins and losing with a buzzer beater yesterday was a bit disappointing. I am happy that our guys did not let that be the thing that takes us down and not have any energy going into the Kenyan game. We knew how big of a game it was for our country and we gave it everything we had. I am proud of both teams," Guinea power forward Ousmane Drame.
"Two good defensive teams played against each other today and Guinea were the better side. Credits to them for qualifying for the AfroBasket. Our identity is defense and we executed well but offensively we struggled. If we had a bit more energy, we would have given ourselves a chance," Tylor Ongwae, Kenya Morans forward.
"We went on a four minute dry spell for four minutes in the last quarter and missed chances that would have turned the game on its head. It has, however, been a competitive event and everyone has beefed up." - Kenya head coach Cliff Owuor.
FIBA