ANTANANARIVO (Madagascar) – Côte d'Ivoire maintained their impressive perfect run in the FIBA AfroBasket Qualifiers as they defeated Central African Republic (CAF) 100-76 in a do-or-die game for the Central Africans.
The win means CAF are out of the race for the 2025 AfroBasket, while Madagascar, who beat Egypt earlier in the day, secure their first qualifying ticket in 14 years.
It was Côte d'Ivoire's fifth win in as many games, while CAF dropped their fifth straight loss in the qualifiers.
TURNING POINT: Côte d'Ivoire came and they conquered! From tip-off to the final buzzer, they never looked back.
Bali Coulibaly, Maxence Dadiet, Amadou Sidibe, Matt Costello and Jean-Philippe Dally all contributed to an early 9-0 run that gave them a massive 35-15 lead.
Rare offensive situations from CAF were quickly obliterated. Côte d’Ivoire, though already qualified for the Angola showdown, kept pressuring their opponent and never looked back.
HEROES: Four Côte d'Ivoire players finished the game in double figures. Nisre Zouzoua scored a team-high 19 points, while Matt Costello, Jean-Philippe Dally and Maxence Dadiet added 17, 14 and 10 respectively.
STATS DON’T LIE: Côte d’Ivoire had a strong bench, and the 40 points that came from it are proof enough. They also perfectly exploited the turnovers, scoring 19 points, while CAF managed 15. The Elephants also had a field day, hitting 37 for 74 on the field, while scoring 14 of their 38 attempts from behind the arc.
BOTTOM LINE: Côte d’Ivoire progress to 5-0 while CAF are down to 0-5. The Western Africans are the 2021 AfroBasket silver medalists and send out a statement about their intentions in Angola. But for CAF, things are already done and dusted.
WHAT THEY SAID : “Yesterday, we had a serious game, except at the end, when we relaxed. Our energy is connected. We're trying to keep the same energy, and how we come from the bench. We hope to keep this energy as we need to keep it for the competition." Vafessa Fofafa, Côte d'Ivoire center.
FIBA