RABAT (Morocco) - What a difference six four months have made for Mali! Back in November, they lost 85-60 to South Sudan in the first round of Group A in Dakar, but it was a different story on Saturday as they stunned Africa's number one team 75-72 to book their place at the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket.
Already qualified, South Sudan went into the game looking to maintain their status as one of the continent's top teams and a win would have been a must, but facing a desperate Mali side proved to be quite a challenge.
While South Sudan are now 3-2 in qualifying tournament, Mali improved to 2-3.
Mali's win means that the top three places in Group B are now decided, while fourth-placed Morocco are out of the AfroBasket.
A defiant Mamoudou Diarra, who led all players with 19 points and added 9 rebounds, revealed after the game that Mali's preparation for South Sudan began in November when they squandered an 11-point lead to lose by 25 points to the Bright Stars.
In fact, Mali were the aggressors, controlling the tempo of the game; they trailed at one point, but overcame a 6-point deficit in the third quarter to claim a hard-fought victory.
South Sudan coach Luol Deng also praised Mali's tenacity. "Mali have improved a lot. As much as I hate to lose, I thought they played hard and deserved to win.
TURNING POINT: South Sudan led by 6 at the break (48-42), but in a turn of events, Mali outscored South Sudan 27-15 in the third period to throw the outcome of the game into doubt.
The pressure seemed to be mounting and, as much as South Sudan rotated their bench, Mali's aggression in the paint proved to be a key factor.
HERO: Two-time U18 AfroBasket MVP Siriman Kanoute gave South Sudan a tough time with his up-tempo game and fearless attack, finishing with a massive 15 points, 10 assists and steals.
STATS DON'T LIE: It was an evenly contested game, but South Sudan's 22 turnovers, forced largely by Mali's physicality, were a major factor in their second defeat in these qualifiers.
BOTTOM LINE: South Sudan's defeat to Mali means they will finish second in the group regardless of the result against DR Congo on Sunday, but as Luol Deng later admitted, it's time to rethink their preparation plans.
Mali, meanwhile, went into the game as underdogs but left it with a huge statement to make ahead of Sunday's clash with the home side.
WHAT THEY SAID: "We had a lot of turnovers, we didn't take care of the ball, we missed a lot of threes... I'm not going to take anything away from them [Mali], they outplayed us, that's the reality. They came ready to play. They played South Sudan basketball on us.." - South Sudan guard, Junior Madut.
"We started the game slow, and when you play a team that is hungry... When somebody is that hungry..things can happen. I've got to do a better job of getting the guys ready..." - South Sudan head coach, Luol Deng.
"We have been preparing for this game since Senegal [Mali lost to South Sudan by 25 points in November 2024]. We know they are a great team, but we promised that the next time we came here we would fight and we did.." - Mali forward, Mamoudou Diarra.
FIBA