South Sudan's Bright Stars torch Libya in first 2025 AfroBasket century win

After a tough opening loss to Guinea, South Sudan’s Bright Stars stormed back onto the court in Namibe like a team on a mission—unleashing a full-court assault on Libya to claim a commanding 115-52 victory.

Still stinging from their 88-80 setback against Guinea, the top-ranked South Sudanese squad wasted no time showing they meant business. From the opening tip, they exploded to an 18-2 lead—setting the tone for a night of pure dominance.

Former BAL MVP Jo Lual-Acuil led the early charge, dropping 10 of his 16 points in the first quarter alone, as the Bright Stars overwhelmed James Sam Vincent’s Libyan side with sheer pace, physicality, and elite shot-making.

It was a statement win—and a warning to the rest of the field: South Sudan are still very much in the hunt, and they’re hungry.

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Peter Jok's foul on Naseim Ismail Salem Badrush gave Libya a chance to get on the scoreboard again with the Libyan guard dropping both chances from the free throw line and adding a basket immediately as the North Africans struggled for a 31-12 opening quarter. He scored 8 of Libya's 12 points in the period. 

"I thought our guys stuck with the game plan. We did a good job preparing. After a loss you get that fire to play. We have been there in the qualifiers where we would lose and bounce back and I think tonight the team executed well. We got a lot of baskets because of our defense," offered Bright Stars' head coach Luol Deng. 

Wenyen Gabriel got action going in the second quarter with a driving layup 11 seconds in, as South Sudan went on a 10-0 run to lead by 29 points with 6.39 minutes to play. Abduqadir Rizq got Libya's first basket of the period shortly after, but a mix of empty possessions and spectacular defense from Bright Stars saw the latter stretch their advantage to 38 points (52-14).

"Credit to Libya, they are a great team. We just upped the pressure on them, stuck to the plan defensively, put pressure on their guards and rebounded well," Junior Madut offered. 

Nine points in the last three minutes for Libya rescued their performance for a 31-11 second quarter, leaving Vincent's charges needing a miracle to turn the tables in the second half. 

"We caught South Sudan on an afternoon they were highly focused, very energised and in a situation where they desperately needed this win and they came out ready to play. They played well, tough and hard. We wanted to play hard but they had too much power and experience," Sam Vincent admitted after the loss.

He continued, "It was difficult playing them. Our starting point guard Mohamed Sadi missed out due to a hamstring tear and they did a good job double teaming us in the back court after realising we were down a ball handler. They played aggressive man to man defense, trapped on the ball and they have big guys who can score. Our players, even though they were down, kept their heads up and kept playing and that's the key." 

Salem Badrush drove to the basket to open action in the second half, firing a three-point shot two minutes in but South Sudan continued to dictate pace for yet another massive performance, another 33-10 show.

The final stanza was a matter of routine and despite Libya coming alive, a 20-19 show for the Olympians gave them a 63-point victory, the biggest winning margin this edition so far. 

Six Bright Stars players got into double digits with Uni Omot leading the charge with a double-double on 16 points and 10 rebounds, adding five assists and two steals for a game-high 30 in efficiency rating. Kur Nyok Kuath added a double-double on 12 points with 100% shooting on the field and missing twice from the free throw line, adding 13 rebounds. 

The loss leaves Libya winless after playing for a 85-53 defeat to hosts Angola in their Group C opener. 

"We will come out and play hard in the next game, (against Guinea) and play to win. This is Libya's first time back to the competition in 16 years and it will take time to acclimate and gain experience. I doubt they will give up. They will keep working until they get there," coach Vincent added. 

South Sudan, meanwhile, take on hosts Angola on Saturday, August 16 with Deng acknowledging that playing the side will be playing a role model and an iconic side

"We will prepare for them. They are a good side. We are trying to replicate what Angola have done for African basketball. I give a lot of credit to the nation and what they have given to African basketball and we respect them. We know they are excited to play us and we will watch them carefully against Guinea then prepare accordingly," Deng explained. 

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[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]