Holders Tunisia, Egypt record wins as Afrobasket tips off
Kenya's Ronnie Gundo (right) attempts to get past a Ugandan player during their friendly match at Kigali Arena, Rwanda on August 23, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The North African team made a strong comeback after their opponents started off the battle with a three-point lead in the opening quarter.
- Egypt, who are eyeing the continental crown for a third time after 1975 and 1983, fought hard to contain the athletic Central African Republic.
- By the halftime, the scores were 25-33 in favour of the Egyptians.
in Kigali
Defending champions Tunisia got their title defence underway with an impressive 82-46 win over Guinea as the Fiba Afrobasket Championship got underway here at the iconic Kigali Arena, Rwanda Tuesday.
The Guinea players lost their game in the first quarter after the North Africans opened an eight-point lead in a game they had total control on both ends of the floor.
By halftime, the Dirk Bauermann coached side had blown up the margin to 21 points making it almost impossible for Guinea to catch up.
Tunisia outscored their opponents 17-9, 24-11, 21-14 and 20-12 in the four quarters.
Three of Tunisia’s players centre Salah Mejri, shooting guard Michael Roll and point guard Omar Abada registered double-digit scores by the end of the final buzzer
With three rebounds, one assist and two steals , scored a total of 17 points for his team to emerge the match top scorer.
Michael Roll, who just returned from FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), posted 14 points, while Omar returned 10 points.
Egypt hammered Central African Republic 72-56 in the second match of the competition at the same venue.
The North African team made a strong comeback after their opponents started off the battle with a three-point lead in the opening quarter.
Egypt, who are eyeing the continental crown for a third time after 1975 and 1983, fought hard to contain the athletic Central African Republic.
By the halftime, the scores were 25-33 in favour of the Egyptians.
