DAKAR (Senegal) - Anas Mahmoud was once again a rebound shy of his first double-double in the  FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers, but the good thing for him is that Egypt improved to 2-1 after beating DR Congo 62-51 on Sunday in Dakar.

The seven-footer recorded 18 points and 9 rebounds in a 75-57 defeat to Senegal two days ago, and in Sunday's encounter against DR Congo the Zamalek star came up with 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Besides Mahmoud's impact at both ends of the floor, Egypt's suffocating defense paid dividends, forcing the Congolese to their lowest scoring since the African Qualifiers began last Friday.

Ehab Amin, the other Egyptian to score in double figures, finished with 12 points, and Khaled Abdelnasser Abdelgawad cleared the boards with a game-high 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile Henry Pwono and Jordam Sakho - the only Congolese to score ten points or more each - led the way with a combined 26 points. 

 
Turning point: Although DR Congo showed signs of retaking the lead, Egypt demonstrated an impressive composure from start to finish without panicking.

DR Congo managed a short-lived six-point lead, but it was Egypt who led as many as 17 points at some point in the game.

Game hero(es): Anas Mahnoud continues to be a key factor for this Egyptian team. When he steps up, good things happen to the Pharaohs. This is what happened on Sunday, when he had a 8-for-14 from shooting, prompting head coach Roy Rana to hail the former Louisville University player's impact.

Anas Mahmoud

"He is very unique, not just for Egypt, but for basketball. A seven-footer who can handle the ball, he can pass, he can attack the rim from the perimeter, and defensively he's able to change shots; in the rim he is able to rebound, he is a very exciting young prospect and we are just happy that he is Egyptian and is with us because he has huge impact on our team," Rana acknowledged. 

Stats don't lie: Exhausted or maybe not, the fact is that the Congolese rotation failed to produce results on Sunday, and that is where the difference between the teams lied, with Egypt's bench outscoring DR Congo's 26-7.

And to make matters worse for DR Congo, Egypt fought for each possession like there was no tomorrow, a fact reflected in Egypt's 49-38 rebounding advantage. 

Bottom line: Egypt had the best way of closing the first round of Group D before Window 3 of the African Qualifiers, which might be held in Egypt in June-July.

After a disastrous showing against Senegal, Egypt looked competitive, and left a clear message of their World Cup aspirations.

DR Congo, on the other hand, could have returned home 3-0, instead, they will have to replan their strategy for Window 3. Preparation, as DR Congo head coach Thomas Drouot, emphasised, will be key. 

What they said: "In today’s game we were worried abut the wrong things at times, in terms of things that are out of our control…We need to do our game plan, focus on ourselves and execute more… As a team we need focus on our main goal, and not being distracted by outside factors." - Henry Pwono - DR Congo forward.

"When you have a great performance like yesterday [win against hosts Senegal] the goal is to do the same or better in the next game. Today we didn’t achieve this goal. Our shooting percentage today was terrible. All our percentages were terrible. The main reason [for the loss] was maybe because we rushed some plays, poor shooting, not moving the ball. The other reason was we didn't start with the right intensity. When you don't start the game with intensity your opponents take the lead and you become more anxious. This is what happened today." - Thomas Drouot - DR Congo head coach.

Roy Randa addresses Ahmed Khalaf 

"We won because of our defence today..It's about how our mentality.. It's not about Senegal, Congo or Kenya it's about us. If we play defense the way we did today, we are good." - Haytham Khalifa - Egypt team captain.

"It was great to see us to have defense effort back-to-back in a very important game against a very good team. Our defence won us the game. Offensively we were ok, we werent' great, but I think we made some good decisions down the stretch and our players stepped up and played really well. Happy with the result and, hopefully, we can build on it." - Roy Rana - Egypt Head Coach.

FIBA