ANTANANARIVO (Madagascar) – Côte d’Ivoire will appear at the FIBA AfroBasket for the 25th time.
They needed just one win to qualify and they did it with a 106-73 victory over Madagascar to become the highest-scoring team in the tournament.
The previous highest-scoring team in the AfroBasket qualifiers was Senegal, who beat Gabon 101-58 in the first round of Group C last November.
They wrote their names to the August showdown in a fashionable way, in a packed Palais des Sports de Mahamas, in the Ankoay’s own backyard.
From the tip-off to the final buzzer, there was no suspense. Cote d’Ivoire had a job to do and they did it with style, claiming the 33-point win, while things look a bit complicated for the Ankoay.
It all started with a Matt Costello layup (2-0), which quickly led to a 6-2, then 11-2 lead for the Western Africans. As the game unfolded, it became clear that Madagascar could only resist so much.
But they kept on fighting till the end, while Côte d’Ivoire kept their defense up. No surprise as the Elephants walked away with the win.
TURNING POINT: It all happened fast. Madagascar did not really understand what was happening to them. But when Côte d’Ivoire just launched the attack, led by Matt Costello, who had already scored more than half of his 20 points by half-time, the hosts could not react.
By half-time, the Western Africans already had a 33-point lead (57-24). But Madagascar had a surge of pride and forced a third quarter tie (18-18). But all these efforts were to no avail as Côte d’Ivoire kept the gap wide open.
HERO : Matt Costello led the charge for Côte d’Ivoire, scoring a game high 20 points, more than half of which before half-time. So much so that coach Miguel Angel Hoyo Ramos decided to bench the center, who played only 18:50 minutes.
STATS DON’T LIE : A quick glance at the stats show that Côte d’Ivoire always had control of the game. They won the battle inside the paint, outscoring Madagascar 58-28, while out-rebounding their opponents 56-37.
With 23 points from turnovers and 29 points from fast breaks, they sent a clear message: they are in Madagascar to register another 3-0 streak.
BOTTOM LINE: Côte d’Ivoire are the second team from Group D - after Egypt saw off Central African Republic - to clinch their ticket to the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket. While Côte d'Ivoire can now rest, they still need to see off Central African Republic and a revengeful Egypt to remain perfect in the Qualifiers.
As for Madagascar, things are now a little bit more complicated, due to the points difference. But as they face Egypt in Game Day 2, they will have a go at the win, and hope they can move up from 1-3 to 2-3.
WHAT THEY SAID : “We’re going to play our game and limit turnovers. We are not letting ourselves dominated in the game against Egypt. We need to address our shooting skills, because our sharpshooter, Kiady, is wounded. But despite his wound, he decided to play.” Jeannot Ravonimbola, Madagascar head coach.
“We need to forget this first game and take each game like a final. The one against Central African Republic will be crucial, but I believe in my team mates.” Sitraka Raharimanantoanina, Madagascar center.
“Our energy at the beginning was really good. Hopefully we can keep that up in the next games. The coach said that we have a good team. Everybody is really good and knows their role. And if you have 12 players, it really helps everybody. I think the goal today was to have nobody play over twenty minutes. But these three games in three days are going to be very intense.” Matt Costello, Côte d’Ivoire center.
FIBA