MAPUTO (Mozambique) - Senegal on Thursday pulled out an impressive comeback to begin their Olympics African Pre-Qualifiers with a 75-71 win over Angola in Maputo.

The eleven-time African champions trailed by as many as eleven points, were 38-34 behind at halftime, and even though Angola looked on the way to their first first win ver Senegal since 2015, the former kept their best for last to take an important Group B win.

Oumoul Khairy Sarr came off the bench the Senegalese offense with 15 points, Bintou Diémé buried two of her three-point attempts to finish with a team-high 18 points as Senegal sealed their first win finishing runners-up as hosts of the 2019 FIBA Women's AfroBasket.

Despite coming to Maputo with a short-handed team, Angolan looked surprisingly competitive with veteran forward Felisarda Jorge leading all scorers with 19 points. However, turning the ball over, missing apparent easy shots, and struggling to contain a desperate Senegal team proved costly to the Angolans who will play Mali next.

Meanwhile, early in the day, Nigeria were awarded a victory following the withdrawal of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The tournament resumes Friday with with only one game when Angolan facing a must-win game against Mali in order to keep their Tokyo Olympics hopes alive. 

 FIBA