Senegal defeated Côte d'Ivoire 85-72 in this return fixture to make up for their first leg encounter where they succumbed 90-80 to the Elephants. Powered by Brancou Badio's return, the Lions of Teranga overcame a slow second half to claim a comfortable victory.
Last Updated on
July 3, 2026
Pape N'Diaye won the jump ball over Tacko Fall against all odds, but Tacko Fall opened the scoring with an effortless dunk, exerting his dominance in the paint. This prompted a 9-0 run for Senegal. During this run, Ibrahima Faye scored two lay ups and then Brancou Badio, the Valencia shooting guard, drained a perfect three.
Assemian Moulare, who plays in the Pro A in France, then crashed the party for Senegal with a lay up and then a three-pointer to cut the deficit. The two European-based stars faced off as Badio scored another lay up. Senegal continued with suffocating defense and it led to a fast break Ibrahima Faye dunk. Despite this run, the Ivorians continued to push back with David Gassaud's three-pointer.
The Elephants were a step behind defensively and Senegal capitalised on that and had two successful trips to the line. Mbaye Ndiaye got the Dakar crowd on its feet when he drained a three-pointer and then threw down a fast break dunk right after. 2025 BAL MVP, JJ Boissy, joined the party with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer to put Senegal comfortably in the driver's seat. They closed the quarter at 29-16.
Senegal continued this momentum with the crowd fully behind them when Babacar Sane drove and made a lay up. After a brief dry period, Karim Sané stole the ball and took off for a fast break dunk. Both teams then played end-to-end basketball where they traded baskets, with the highlight being Babacar Sane's three-pointer.
Babacar Sane continued to show his killer instincts when he carried the offensive load for Senegal with 12 in this quarter. He scored in every way imaginable - free throws, three-point shots, alley oops, everything. On the opposite side, Assamian Moulare scored eight straight points for the Elephants to keep them withing striking distance.
Brancou Badio and Nisre Zouzoua exchanged three-pointers to send shockwaves in the crowd. However, Senegal became a bit too complacent defensively and Kevin Yebo continued to draw fouls and made several trips to the free throw line. However, Brancou Badio ended the game with the rare four-point play when he drew a foul on a three-point attempt to beat the buzzer. The shot was successful and he drained the free throw to give Senegal a 55-36 lead at the half.
Tacko Fall opened the quarter with a free throw and then a lay up. Immediately after, Jean Philippe Dally scored a three-pointer to erase that run. It then prompted a Ulrich Kra fast break lay up as the Elephants continued to chip away at the lead. They continued this streak with back-to-back three-pointers from Outtara and Sidibe to make it a 12-point game. Brancou Badio interrupted this with two free throws.
The Elephants then went on a 6-0 run capped off by a Zouzoua three-pointer to make in an eight-point game. This run forced Coach Diop to call a timeout. The timeout paid dividends as Senegal returned with a perfectly executed ATO play for Moustaoha Diop where he sank the three. Then Babacar Sane continued on his rampage as he added two more points. Senegal held on to take a 70-56 lead at the end of the quarter.
With everything to play for, the fourth quarter promised to be a tightly contested one. Boissy creatively found a way to draw a foul and had a perfect trip at the line. Then there was another dry spell and the lid could not be lifted on both hoops. Two minutes later, Assamian Moulare drained another three-pointer.
The Elephants became very intent and in so doing, they made some mistakes and Senegal capitalised on this with two fast break lay ups to extend their lead. In true Ivorian style, Jean Philippe Dally stopped the run with three pointer. The game went to a new trough with an extended period of a dry spell before Kevin Yebo went to the free throw line again where he split the pair.
Brancou Badio took over the game yet again when he scored a lay up on the drive and then drained a three-pointer to take the score to 81-64 with less than two minutes left in the game. The Ivorian called a timeout and perfectly executed the play and got an and-one call for Kevin Yebo who converted the free throw despite the nerves.
Assamian Moulare ran through and scored a lay up to cut the deficit as they needed to lose by less than ten points to stay top of the log on aggregate score. Zouzoua's three-pointer was perfectly executed but this last ditched effort by the Elephants was not enough as Mbaye Ndiaye slammed one home to give Senegal an 85-72 win and secure their spot in the next window.
Assamian Moulare's 19 points were not enough for the Ivorians. The return of Senegalese captain, Brancou Badio, broved invaluable as he led all scorers with 23 points and controlled the flow of the game from start to finish.
[Photography and Imagery Courtesy of FIBA]
