FIBA Africa Championship results 2013: Angola, Egypt, Senegal earn World Cup bids

Angola dominated Egypt in an ugly title game at this year’s FIBA Afrobasket.

Aug 31, 2013, 9:33 PM UTC

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

It may have been the title game for the 2013 FIBA Africa Championship, but neither team showed up in anything resembling championship form. Combining to shoot just 28 percent from the field, Angola and Egypt played like a pair of teams fully aware their 2014 FIBA World Cup invitations had already been guaranteed.

Angola ended up with a victory in relatively easy fashion, 57-40, but this wasn’t exactly the best example of African basketball. With the results in the books, we now know that Angola, Egypt and Senegal will be heading to Spain next year for the newly-named incarnation of international basketball’s premier tournament.

Here are the results from the third-place and championship games in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Angola 57, Egypt 40: There’s nothing like a championship game with little to no importance. Because Angola and Egypt had already clinched World Cup invitations simply by reaching the title game, Saturday’s contest ended up being the lowest-scoring game in the entire tournament.

Egypt actually led 13-12 after one quarter, but things unraveled from there in almost unimaginable fashion. The team would score just 15 points over the next two quarters -- less than one point per minute -- as Angola expanded its lead to 18 points entering the fourth quarter. By then, considering the lack of scoring, things were basically over.

Angola actually had three players score in double-figures as Carlos Morais, Reggie Moore and Eduardo Mingas combined for 44 of the team’s 57 points. Morais led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting, also grabbing eight rebounds as the Angolans dominated the boards.

Sheriff Abdalla led Egypt with 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, but his teammates shot a combined 7-of-41 (17 percent) from the field. Egypt finished the tournament with a 3-4 record, but got enough wins along the way to reach the final and earn a World Cup bid.

Senegal 57, Cote d’Ivoire 56: The game that actually mattered Saturday didn’t disappoint. Trailing by three points with about 12 seconds left, Senegal’s Mamadou Ndoye completed an incredible four-point play to stun the hosting Cote d’Ivoire in the third-place game.

Needing a victory to clinch the final World Cup bid offered through this tournament, Senegal looked to be in trouble before Ndoye doubled his scoring output in a matter of seconds. Cote d’Ivoire had a chance on the other end before the final buzzer, but Mamadou Laminaza missed the potential game-winning shot.

Senegal had a balanced scoring effort as nobody contributing more than 11 points in the win. Forward Maleye Ndoye had six assists, five rebounds and two steals as his teammates handled most of the scoring load. Issife Soumahoro led Cote d’Ivoire with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

The favorite from this tournament, Nigeria, will have to hope it can earn one of the remaining wild card invitations to next year’s World Cup. With a roster including NBA talent like Al-Farouq Aminu and Ike Diogu, Nigeria’s inability to clinch a bid this summer is disappointing.