DAKAR (Senegal) - After Saturday's defeats, both Tunisia and Senegal returned to the court with a revamped determination to reassure their fans.

The two African giants needed wins to conclude the second window of the FIBA Basketball World 2023 African Qualifiers on a high.

With Senegal really keen on returning to winning ways against Kenya, they turned to their captain Youssoupha Ndoye for solace and the big man did live up to expectations.

The center posted ridiculous figures, scoring an unmatched 21 points and a staggering 11 rebounds for his second double-double game in three outings.

Youssoupha Ndoye

The 30- year old was almost flawless on the free throw line, converting five of his seven chances racking an efficiency of 24 as Senegal bashed Kenya 100-55 to extend their slate to 2-1.

"We couldn't afford to lose two games at home," Senegal's center Bouba Toure said after the game before continuing "Against DR Congo, we started the game poorly but we knew if we had to beat Kenya, we had to come in stronger and more powerful.

"We were more aggressive against Kenya, we got the boards and we were able to impose our style of play. We were quick in transitions and we were able to score our shots. That's a positive thing going forward," Senegal Associate Head Coach Mamadou Gueye stated.

Senegal ran riot on the court out-rebounding Kenya 50-29 with their bench contributing 47 points.

Just like Senegal, reigning African champions Tunisia stamped their feet on the floor against Rwanda.

Omar Abada in a stupendous display as he's now accustomed fans to, scored 13 points as Ziyed Chennoufi added 17 points but again it was the side's big man Ben Romdhane who stole the headlines.

Makram Ben Romdhane (r) paced Tunisia to victory

The three-time African champion came one board shy of a double double as he recorded 20 points and 9 rebounds to power his side to proper victory.

"In three games during this window, we won two games and the players gave in their best. We have a lot of young players because we're trying to build for the future but also keep the side competitive," Tunisia's assistant coach Oualid Zrida said in the post-match press conference.

"What is most important is to maintain the reputation of Tunisian basketball. African basketball has greatly progressed and there's a revolution of the sport on the continent so we knew it wasn't going to be easy."

Both teams have now turned their eyes to the July window with their sole ambition being that of keeping a clean slate and heightening their chances of qualifying for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in Indonesia, Japan and Philippines. 

FIBA