Battles for 5th to 7th Place decided ahead of the 2023 AfroCan Final

LUANDA (Angola) - The Classification Round for the 5th to 8th place of the 2023 FIBA AfroCan concluded on Saturday in Luanda with four teams battling it out for their best final positioning in the tournament.

TUNISIA EDGE OUT KENYA

In the first game of the day, Tunisia beat Kenya 67-59 to finish fifth, a two-place improvements compared to the 2019 edition held in Bamako. 

Runners-up four years ago, Kenya return home with a sixth-place under their belt.

Ahmed Addami (Tunisia)

Tunisia started with a slender lead after the first quarter, which they managed to win 14-13. But Kenya stepped up just before the break with a 13-8 run to take a 4-point lead (26-22) into the half-time break.

After the break, Tunisia fought back to take the lead. It was at this point that the tide turned in their favour, as they cruised to a 25-13 third quarter win.

At 47-39, Tunisia had firmly established control of the match and never looked back, with the score tied at 20-20 as Kenya desperately tried to get back into the game.

Overall, Tunisia did what they needed to do to control the game.

Despite being out-rebounded, Tunisia still managed to grab 35 rebounds, 10 fewer than Kenya. The Tunisians also played better teamwork, with 12 assists to Kenya's 10.

The hero of the day for Tunisia was Jawar Jawadi who finished with a team-high 19 points.

FIras Lahiani also contributed to his side's success with 18 points while grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists. And Achref Gannouni chipped in with 10 points for Tunisia.

The North Africans close their 2023 FIBA AfroCan campaign with a win, but they ended far from their initial aim.

“We finished fifth, which is better than what we did last time. We came here with the aim of getting past the Group Phase, which we did. We finished with a 4-1 streak, which is far from our initial aim. But hopefully, we’ll come back stronger for the next AfroCan’” reflected Lahiani.

ANGOLA OUTLAST NIGERIA FOR 7th PLACE

Glofate Buiamba

In the Classification Round game for the Seventh-Place, hosts Angola saw off Nigeria in an evenly-matched encounter.

Angola found it a bit of a struggle to beat a Nigerian team that hoped to upset the hosts, but, for the second time in the tournament, they came up short against Angola.

Glofate Buiamba was on hand to help Angola to victory and ended the competition on a high note.

The Angolan forward finished with a game-high 16 points and 7 rebounds. He also made two clutch passes and had a steal and a bucket.

Geovanne Kibinga also had his best performance of the day, adding 15 points and two rebounds to the Angolan cause. He admits that the game had a special flavor against an opponent they were finally able to control.

"It was a tough game and we didn't play our best in the first half. But after that, things settled down and we were able to keep our heads above water. I'm happy with what I did today, but I wished I had the same energy when we played Rwanda. But it's the game and we're going learn from it," he concluded.

FIBA