U16 AfroBasket Men: Côte d’Ivoire Stuns Egypt to Make Final & Book World Cup Ticket

Côte d’Ivoire Stuns Egypt to Make Final & Book World Cup Ticket

Côte d'Ivoire continued their brilliant run by successfully advancing to the final of this year's FIBA U16 AfroBasket for Men in Rwanda as they comfortably dispatched Egypt 75-58 in the semifinals played at the Petit Stade, Kigali.

The Ivorians caused a stir when they ruthlessly demolished the home side, Rwanda, in the quarterfinal match-up a day earlier.
Antoine Konan was the top scorer with 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Still, Irene Raphael was the big man of the night as he single-handedly carried Côte d'Ivoire past the Egyptians. He finished with 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds, registered one assist and made 7 out of 11 two-point shots.

For Egypt, Karim Hendy and Yahya Ammar both finished with 14 points apiece, but it was Hendy who grabbed more rebounds(6) in the game for the Pharaohs.

Biza Martial got the Ivorians started with just four seconds into the game when he finished off a fast break, and Antoine Konan increased it to four points when he converted his two chances from the charity line. Midway into the first quarter, the Ivorians were already up by seven points. Hussain Youssef then reduced the deficit with a three-point shot, and as soon as Irene Raphael scored two points again, they never looked back. They went on to close the first quarter 23-15 with the Pharaohs struggling to cope with the physicality of the West Africans.

The second quarter started a little differently from the first, as Egypt tried to be more defensive but improved on their shooting and finishing. The back and forth, the missed free throws. The blocked shots and the converted shots made for an exciting watch, but the Ivorians still dominated play. Irene was the main guy calling the shots as he led his side to another 21-16 win and eventually helped his side to a 13-point lead at halftime with the score at 44-31.

The Ivorians were really focused on getting to the next stage. They never allowed their opponents any inroads to upstage their rhythm, especially in the second half, as they maintained their lead throughout the game, registering a win across all the quarters with some solid paint dominance, and a lively bench that was massively making contributions to the success of the team.

By the start of the final quarter, the points difference was 16, and the Ivorians were looking to manage the game better and see this one through. They eventually did, as we witnessed the quarter with the fewest points combined. Côte d'Ivoire had done enough and went on to qualify not just for the final of the competition but also automatically qualified for their first FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup next year in Turkey, with either Mali or Cameroon joining them in the competition. 

The Pharaohs practically had no answer to the Ivorian firepower as they imposed their will close to the basket, relentlessly powering their way to 50 points in the paint to confirm their dominance. Their bench also played a significant role in the victory as bench players stepped up to deliver a crucial 27 points, outpacing their Egyptian counterparts.

The momentum stayed firmly with the Ivorians and they capitalized on every opportunity, scoring 16 second-chance points and adding another 19 on the fast break. While Egypt fought hard, they met their match and their offensive rhythm was consistently disrupted by a brilliant defense.

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[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]