Egypt has defended their ambitions of dethroning Mali. They have been consistent in showing they are a step ahead of their competition as they dismissed Morocco 90-20. A lopsided match that left a lot to be desired for Morocco.
Last Updated on
September 11, 2025
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After a stalemate start, Morocco broke the deadlock with a free throw by Lamia H’saina. Egypt took the lead shortly with back-to-back lay-ups by Joudi Elsayed. Morocco scored another free throw by Fatima El Messnaoui. Fatma Abdella then scored a 3-pointer to extend Egypt’s lead before Leila Eissa scored a fastbreak lay-up to make it a 9-2 game.
Fatma El Massnaoui scored four of the five points for Morocco this quarter. The quarter ended 10-5 in favor of Egypt. It was a quarter plagued with turnovers and many missed opportunities. While Morocco kept Egypt to only 10 points in the quarter, Egypt was very complacent – very uncharacteristic of them.
The Egyptians came to life in the second quarter. They were firing on all cylinders and on all fronts – defensively and offensively. They got off to a 15-0 run. They played suffocating defense and rewarded themselves handsomely on offense. They were dominating in the paint, on the perimeter and also in transition. During this run, they scored 3 3-pointers and forced multiple turnovers from Morocco. Morocco disrupted that with a 4-0 run courtesy of a Marwa Abdelkader lay-up and two free throws by Fatima El Massnaoui.
However, Egypt went on another run. They had seven unanswered points to close off the quarter. They took a 32-9 lead. They limited Morocco to only four points and one field goal in the first quarter. They found their rhythm and could not be stopped. For Morocco, it was a quarter they wanted to forget, but they still had a whole quarter to redeem themselves.
The second half was even better for Egypt as they began the quarter on a 26-0 run. They were hitting every shot or at least getting the open looks that they wanted. They were scoring at will and any way they wanted to – from mid-range jump shots to fastbreak lay-ups to 3-point shots and even some good old post work in the low block. It took Morocco almost eight minutes to respond. They responded fashionably with a Malak Ahmed 3-pointer.
The last two minutes of the quarter were very slow as both teams were sloppy and only scored two points altogether. The Egyptian stayed in control and were cruising to the finish line as they were up 63-9 at the end of the quarter. They played great defense as they limited Morocco to only three points in the entire quarter while scoring 31 points.
The fourth quarter got off to an electrifying start with both teams shooting 3-pointers at a high clip. Egypt quickly scored eight points to Morocco’s three. Egypt continued with their barrage of fastbreaks and 3-point shooting. They went on a 12-0 run before Fatima El Massnaoui. Egypt did not take its foot off the pedal as it went on to win 90-20. They have sent a strong message to the defending champions, Mali, after a dominant group stage campaign.
They forced Morocco into 50 turnovers and only three assists all game. Egypt had four players in double-digit scoring: Habiba Soliman (10 points), Leila Eissa (15 points), Joudi Elsayed (12 points) and Fatma Abdalla (11 points). They are awarded an extra rest day before their quarterfinal match.
[Photography and Imagery Courtesy of FIBA]
