AfroBasket 2017 Day Two Full Report
All of the action from the second day's play, as it happened, at AfroBasket 2017.
Benoit Mbala had 24 points for Cameroon as they saw off Guinea with plenty of inside shots and their backcourt making 13 three-pointers. 42 points the gap in this match-up between these two west African sides. Meanwhile, South Africa vs Mozambique saw better performance from both teams. Pieter Prinsloo was getting it all done for South Africa, he finished with 15 points, but Mozambique’s defence kept their slim advantage. Mozambique won this game by six, 67-61.
Democratic Republic of Congo routed Cote d'Ivoire, as both teams looked to establish themselves in the tournament after opening losses. Eric Tape had 19 off the bench for the Ivorians, but it was not enough to halt rampant close-range play from the Congolese offence, where more than half their points came from. Four DRC players scored in double figures in their 81-60 win.
There was little to separate Uganda and Central African Republic, with both teams doing well to manage the opposition defence and handle the ball in the paint. With 16 points and 10 rebounds, Max Kouguere would be the hero for CAF, making decisive shots late in the game to give them a slim lead. Uganda missed the final shot of the game, and the Central African fans celebrated their team winning this highly entertaining game, 67-64.
Behind 20 points from Mohamed Hadidane and a double-double from Makram Ben Romdhane, Tunisia put the brakes on Rwanda and prevented them from playing their game. Tunisia took their second win of the tournament, 78 to 60. At the same time, Egypt put in an uncharacteristically poor performance against Senegal, regularly allowing the co-hosts easy looks at basket. Giorgi Dieng led everyone with 14 points and 7 rebounds as Senegal easily dominated the game, which they won 87-52.
Mali looked to make their mark early in their game against Nigeria, but a far more physical and inventive performance from Nigeria saw them seize control. Led by a stand-out showing from Ikechukwu Nwamu, who had 22 points, Nigeria’s bigger arsenal of moves saw them take control of the game and they continued to build their lead. They eventually won by 23 points.
Both Morocco and Angola did all they could to prevent any easy attempts at basket in this game. Angola recovered from a rough start behind top scorer Reggie Moore and dependable star Olimpio Cipriano. Morocco fought back in the fourth quarter, with Abderrahim Najah doing well to convert steals into points in the paint and some terrific three-point shooting from Adil El Makssoud. With victory in sight Morocco continued to build their advantage to the death, and celebrated a famous 60-53 win over the African giants of Angola.
Fourteen teams still have a chance of advancing to the knockout round ahead of the final day of group play tomorrow. For more, visit the tournament's official website.
