PRETORIA (South Africa) - Reigning FIBA U18 AfroBasket champions Egypt had to wait until the fourth quarter to despatch Nigeria, 70-57 in the Group B battle, at the University of Pretoria's Rembrandt Hall in South Africa.
Angola, Cameroon and Mali claimed wins in the opener of the biennial tournament,.
Here is how the day unfolded in Pretoria.
Egypt outlast Nigeria to start title defense campaign
Egypt's Mohammed Hussin led all scorers with 21 points, while his teammate Omar Mowafak contributed 15.
Nigeria's Azeez Sulaimon was Nigeria's scoring leader with 14 points.
Nigeria, sharing an equal amount of titles as Egypt (6), showed no signs of travel fatigue, having arrived on the eve of the match.
The J'Tigers finished the first quarter in the ascendancy (17-14), with Favour Ibe and David Ike delivering dunks against their opponents. Nigeria also used the fastbreak well, scoring seven to Egypt's zero quarter.
Egypt relied on their three-point shooting, as 21 of their point came from behind the arc.
Heading to the half-time break, the Egyptians led 37-32, with Hussin leading all scorers with 11 points.
Hussin swings the game in Egypt's favour
Nigeria started the third quarter with a 6-0 run to take the lead 38-37, but a Hussin three cooled Nigeria's hot start.
Another Hussin three stretched Egypt's lead (45-41), but Isaac Ezekiel's bucket and free throws from Favour Ibetied the game. Both teams scrapped it out until the end of the quarter, with Egypt taking a slight lead (52-48) going into the final quarter.
Late in the fourth, Egypt gained control of the game with a Hussin mid-range shot and Omar Aly's fastbreak dunk, which earned him a tech for hanging on the rim, gave the North Africans a 10-point lead (63-53).
Egypt proved too strong in the end, as they took the game by 13 points.
"I had a good game. It was also a great win for my team. It sets us up well for the rest of the tournament," said Mohammed Hussin.
Mali too strong for Senegal
Two-time champions Mali were unstoppable in their Group A battle against neighbours Senegal.
Mali triumphed 64-50 and was led in scoring by Mamadou Traore's 19 points.
Mali looked dominant in the early exchanges and raced to a 9-0 lead, with Mamadou Traore delivering three points, a three and a single shot from the free throw line.
Mali's lead would not last long as Senegal answered with seven points (9-7). The game was highly tactical, with both teams relying on ball movement to create scoring opportunities. Mali did come alive in the second quarter as they had another scoring run (seven points) to lead the game 16-7. Guard Traore had a hot hand - delivering from mid-range and the three-point line.
Senegal battled to stifle Mali, who added 12 points to finish 28-18 up.
Senegal was within striking distance of Mali in the second half, but they were not clinical enough to beat a far superior opponent.
"We playing as team lead to the win. That is where it began for us. Senegal scored a lot of points in the paint, which made things difficult, but we needed to win and that objective has been achieved," said leading scorer Traore.
Angola delivered a basketball masterclass in Group B opener vs Uganda
Led by team captain Aginaldo Neto's 28 points, Angola won the game 89-73. Neto's teammates, Matues Abraem (21 points), Manuel Camboma (15 points) and Celestino Augusto (11 points) came to the party for Angola.
Uganda were led in scoring by Mukisa Mubiru-Nkugwa's 20 points.
The first half of the game was scintillating, with little separating Angola and Uganda. The East Africans showed four-time champions Angola they were no pushovers.
Mubiru Nkugwa and Ekau each scored to keep Angola within their sights, while Neto (14 points) and Abraem (11 points) gave their country a single-point lead (38-37) in the first half.
Angola up their tempo as Uganda fall flat
The second half saw Angola show why they are one of Africa's best teams. Camboma, who finished the first half with four points, added 10 points in the third quarter.
The Junior SilverBacks had a nightmare quarter, managing only six points, while Angola scored 22.
The Southern Africans continued their dominance in the fourth quarter and waltzed to a 16-point victory.
Debutant Cameroon stave off a fourth-quarter comeback from Cote D'Ivoire to win 67-62
Ulrich Ngono's 18 points and Dan Ejenguele's and Daryl Baya's 12 points each carried Cameroon. For the Ivoriens, Theo Chaney's 16 points and Alexandre Lomby's 11 points were part of an invein effort to stay alive in the game.
Cote d'Ivoire had settled by the fifth minute with a five-point lead (13-8).
Cameroon found their rhythm and way back into the game, with Ngono grabbing an offensive rebound and muscling his way through three defenders to score a sweet layup. The forward was fouled in the process and completed the three-point play to make the score 13-12.
The final seconds of the first quarter were a see-saw affair, with Cameroon momentarily seizing the lead (17-15), but turnovers saw them relinquish it. Point guard Theo Chaney scored a quick five points (a layup and three), while Zie Conde's free throws saw Cote d'Ivoire close the quarter 22-17.
Ngono, the fuse that lit Cameroon's charge to victory
At the fourth-minute mark of the second down (28-22), Cameroon electrified and Ngono, the leading scorer of the first half with 16, provided the spark from the bench. His eight points saw the Central African nation build their biggest lead of the game (11), as they went into the break 40-29 up.
Kevin Ngwesse's team would survive a second-half fightback from Cote D'Ivoire, which made for an exciting finish. An early three-pointer from Nelson Lamizana Jr kick-started the West African nation's attempt to salvage the game. The men in orange would score six more unanswered points to reduce the score to seven points (57-50). Fortunately, Cameroon held their nerve for a memorable victory.
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