MONASTIR (Tunisia) – It was a day of mixed grill as five-time African champions Egypt were shocked Saturday by a rampaging Guinea side that showed no fear for the Pharaohs. Cote d'Ivoire defeated Tunisia and Uganda fell to Chad.

Only Mali kept their winning streak and have secured their place in the Quarter Finals.

EGYPT v GUINEA (GROUP B)

Egypt fell 83-78 to Guinea in an encounter many had thought would be an easy game for the reigning champions.

But that was not to be as Guinea inspired by Nour Gassim Toure hurt their opponent sinking a game-high 25 points while adding 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal.

Egypt started well in the first quarter leading 22-17 but the Guineans changed the tide of the game in the next three quarters to set the tune for a victory dance at the end of the day.

Egypt tied scores at 62-62 in the 4th quarter with 09:05 seconds on the clock when Ahmed Fady scored the 2nd of 2 free-throws and Mohamed Wael made a 3pt jump shot to further Egypt's lead to 65-62 with 08:47 seconds on the clock.

Up until 07:29, Egypt still led at 67-65 until Mohamed Kourouma made a 2pt jump shot that tied the game at 67-67 with 07:25 seconds on the clock.

The ding dong affair continued with Egypt taking the lead again at 68-67 with 05:58 seconds on the clock until Mohamed Kourouma scored a 2pt jump shot to give Guinea the lead at 69-68 with 05:35 seconds on the clock. From that point, Guinea never looked back as they went all the way to close the game at 83-78 and extend their wins to 2-0.

Aside Nour Gassim Toure's high performance, his teammate Mohamed Kourouma added a double-double score of 17 points and 10 rebounds while for Egypt, Mohamed Wael dropped a double-double 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists.

Guinea's big man Araphan Diane, who contribute a double-double 16 points, 10 rebounds and 1 assist ,summed up his team's victory this way: "Guinea came here ready for any team. We don’t mind anybody's record or status but we're here to play and win."

While Omar Essam of Egypt stated that his team’s box outs and rebounds were faulty. "Guinea had lots of second chance baskets and our transition and defense were very bad. After we score or miss a shot, the Guineans out ran us and just couldn't get back on defence. We fought to the end but they won. It’s for us to forget this game and focus on the next.”

CHAD v UGANDA (GROUP B)

Chad sent a warning signal as to their preparedness on Saturday as they beat Uganda 91-70 to launch their 2023 campaign.

Mahamat Aka Ousmane had a swell time directing the affairs of Chad with his double-double 23 points and 13, rebounds while swatting 3 shots. 

Guimdar Ferguson Tamonkam poured 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds while dishing out 5 assists blocks to wrap up the day for Chad.

Ange Harper Gogoto of Chad who had 24 rebounds in the game said the game was difficult at the start because he didn't find his rhythm being his first time on this court. "The moment I got used to it and had an understanding with my teammates, my game began to flow."

Uganda's guard Tejan Joel Rugette who finished with a double-double 33 points and 10 rebounds,  could not hide his disappointment with his team’s loss.

"It's a shame we lost. I just feel that as a team, we did not play at our best. We hope to go to our next games with more energy and intensity."

ANGOLA v MALI (GROUP A)

Mali improved to 3-0 with a 67-43 win over Angola on Saturday.

The 2021 first runners-up had Sidy Toure to count on as he scored 22 points and contributed 7 rebounds to lead the floor.

Wellington Barros scored 8 points to lead the floor for Angola and his team was not just prepared for what Mali brought before them.

COTE D'IVOIRE v TUNISIA (GROUP A)

It was another sad night for host Tunisia as they fell to the superior play of Cote d'Ivoire on Day 3 of the FIBA U16 African Championship in Monastir.

Tunisia showed flashes of a side ready to take the bull by the horn in the first quarter taking a 25-19 lead to the excitement of the handful of supporters present.

However, in the subsequent quarters, they fell 24-12, 24-15 and 23-16 as the Ivorians used fast breaks to their advantage to nail Tunisia.

Konan Christ Ariel Koffi garnered 27 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist to lead the floor while Ahmed Bedoui scored 13 points for Tunisia.

Koffi noted that Cote d'Ivoire came out to give a good account of ourselves having lost their first game. "To win this game, we made adjustment from our mistakes and played better defense which gave us victory," he revealed to FIBA.basketball.

FIBA