DR Congo see off resilient Nigeria, get through to the Semi-Finals

 

LUANDA (Angola) – DR Congo qualified for the Semi-Finals of the 2023 FIBA AfroCan after they saw off Nigeria on the score of 74-72 in a nail-biting finish at the Kilamba Arena, in Luanda.

DR Congo have extended their winning streak to 3-0 (8-0 overall dating back to 2019) after they overcame a resiliant Nigeria to remain perfect.

Evariste Shongoya

The Congolese managed to keep their opponents at bay, even though the latter came to the court with the intention of upsetting the balance of power.

Nigeria may have regretted missing two early baskets, but they still gave the defending champions a run for their money.

The DRC have qualified for the next edition of the AfroCan and will face Morocco in the Semi-Finals while Nigeria will play the Classification Round for the Fifth-Place finish.

TURNING POINT: It happened just before the end of the second quarter, when Nigeria rediscovered their attacking efficiency and began to close in on the DRC. In fact, the Nigerians went into the break trailing by just 8 points, despite having been down by more than 10 points for the first two periods.

But once they were back on the floor, they regained their momentum and closed to within 4 points (58-54), while the DRC struggled to score.

In the final quarter, the DRC regained their composure and used the speed of Bobo Kasongo Kasasa to regain the lead.

But in a superhuman effort, Nigeria came back to 64-64, then took the lead on a three-pointer by Kanyisola Joseph Odufuwa. It took all the skill and composure of Evariste Shongoya to score the two points that would give the DRC victory.

Arsene Mwana Mwamba

STATS DON’T LIE: DR Congo enjoyed a superb run of three-point shooting at the start of the game, hitting an incredible 7 out of 15 shots to take the lead from the outset. In contrast, Nigeria managed just six points from their nine attempts from the three-point line.

Chinedu Chimbuo accounted for 9 rebounds

Another interesting stat: the number of rebounds. Nigeria pulled out all the stops to finish with a total of 43 rebounds, 17 of them offensive. In contrast, the DRC only grabbed 4 offensive rebounds, preferring to lock down their defence with 35 defensive rebounds.

HEROES: There were a few players who could claim the title of hero of the match. But our preference goes to Evariste Shongoya, scorer of 20 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists! Pitchou Manga, the Congolese captain, put in an outstanding performance with 15 points and 15 rebounds to help his team reach the Semi-Finals.

THEY SAID: "It was a tough match, with the Nigerians never tiring. They ran from start to finish. We had a bit of a scare at the end, but that's the game. We tried to hold them until the end. We managed to improve our three-point shooting. That held us back during the game, but we're going to keep trying from the outside. I was pleased to see our team doing so well from three-point range. We're going to try and respect our next opponent. DR Congo forward Evariste Shonganya.

FIBA