The Palais des Sports Treichville, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, has brought more than just luck to South Sudan as they became the first ever debutant to finish on a Women's AfroBasket podium.
Last Updated on
August 4, 2025
On Saturday evening, South Sudan fell hard. A semifinal loss to Mali stung deeply, especially for a team making its debut on the biggest stage of African women's basketball. It was a defeat that could have broken them. Instead, it forged them.
Twenty-four hours after that heartbreak, the Bright Starlets returned to the hardwood with fire in their eyes and resilience in their bones. Facing 11-time champions Senegal — a team that has defined African dominance for decades — the world's youngest nation stunned the continent with a 66-65 win to claim bronze in the 2025 Women's AfroBasket. The victory, by the narrowest of margins, marks the first medal ever for South Sudan in a continental basketball championship.
“Wins happen, losses happen, you can't win them all,” captain Adut Bulgak said, moments after the final whistle. “What really matters in sports is how you regroup the next day.”
And regroup they did, with a lot of style and grace.
Senegal entered the bronze medal match hungry, aiming to redeem themselves and return to the podium after a ten-year gold drought. But they were caught off guard by a ferocious start from South Sudan. The Starlets held them to a single point in the opening seven minutes and exploded for a 26-10 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Senegal, as expected, rallied. An 18-9 second quarter chipped away at the lead. With just under five minutes remaining in the third, South Sudan held a ten-point cushion — but that evaporated in under two minutes as Victorine Thiaw led a 10-0 Senegal run to tie it at 44. Suddenly, it felt like momentum had flipped for good.
Khadija Faye pushed Senegal ahead briefly at 46-45. Lena Timera’s deep step-back jumper gave them their biggest lead yet at 58-54 in the fourth. For a moment, the seasoned giants appeared ready to crush the fairy tale.
But South Sudan refused to fold.
Delicia Washington, relentless all tournament, finished with a team-high 22 points, nearly adding a double-double with eight assists and five rebounds. Adut Bulgak, the heart of the squad, scored 14 while hauling in 13 boards — 11 of them on the defensive end. Rookie sensation Maria Teresa Gakdeng matched Bulgak’s scoring, collected 13 rebounds. It was just two blocks short of a triple-double in a dazzling performance that earned her an efficiency rating of 26.
Their individual brilliance, however, was matched by collective grit.
Despite coughing up 29 turnovers — which Senegal converted into 30 points — and leaving 14 points on the free throw line, South Sudan’s defensive rebounding dominance (44-26 overall, 29-17 on defense) denied Senegal crucial second-chance opportunities. They shot a sharp 45.8% from the field compared to Senegal’s 38.3%. In a game that danced on the edge of chaos, every inch mattered.
Then came the moment.
Tied at 65 with six seconds left, Senegal blinked. Thiaw and Faye both missed critical free throws in the final minute. A foul on South Sudan’s Nyamer Lual Diew handed the underdogs one last chance at glory. Calmly, Diew sank one of two from the line.
One point. That was all they needed.
“It speaks to our resilience as a team and the mental toughness it took to overcome what happened yesterday,” Bulgak reflected. “This is our first run in AfroBasket and our team deserves to be here.”
Indeed, this run was no fluke. After starting the tournament with two group phase losses, South Sudan shocked Egypt, edged Uganda, and then did the unthinkable — sent Senegal packing.
They were given a wild card. They walked off the court with a bronze medal. No debutant in the history of Women’s AfroBasket had done that.
"This team... especially with how young they are... they’ve shown what South Sudan is capable of,” Bulgak added. “I am looking forward to what the future has for us.”
For Senegal, the loss adds to a growing list of recent disappointments. In 26 editions of AfroBasket, this marks just the third time the West Africans have failed to make the podium — following fourth-place finishes in 1966 and 2021. A new generation of African basketball is rising, and yesterday’s titans must reckon with that shift.
For South Sudan, though, this tournament was more than bronze. It was a declaration.
Basketball, like life, is not always about perfection — it’s about persistence. They lost to Mali. They bled. But they came back the next day, short memories and long hearts.
And in doing so, the Bright Starlets lit a fire that may burn for years to come.
[Photography/Imagery : Courtesy of FIBA]
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