ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - South Sudan, a team that qualified for the 2025 Women's AfroBasket on a wild card, making a long-awaited debut, are through to the quarterfinals. In a historic 75-65 victory against an FIBA Africa Zone 5 rival, the South Sudan Bright Starlets rallied to secure their first-ever win on the continental stage. This achievement is especially significant given that the team made its debut in the qualifiers in 2021.
Alberto Antuna's team made a resurgence in the second half, catching the Egyptians off guard with a score of 24-12 in the third quarter.
The Egyptians had just given away a 19-point lead, leaving them with only a two-point advantage (56-54) heading into the final stanza.
Rose Macuei and Maria Teresa Gakdeng combined for 12 points. Three-pointers from Nyamer Lual Diew and Adut Bulgak brought the debutants closer to making history.
South Sudan went on an 11-3 run in the opening five minutes of the fourth, turning the trajectory of the match. The Egyptians found themselves facing an early exit and their first loss to their archrivals when it mattered most. TURNING POINT: After trailing by as many as 19 points in the first half, South Sudan had game-changing halftime team talk that produced valuable results.
An impressive rebounding performance followed by two successful free throws by Delicia Washington sparked an unexpected comeback. South Sudan took their first lead of the game (58-57) with 7:10 remaining, and they never trailed again.
HERO: Maria Gakdeng! That's it! The 22-year-old had to step up after Bulgak got into foul trouble early. She dominated the boards with a record 24 rebounds and added 19 points in just over 38 minutes, achieving a double-double that will go down as one of the best performances of the 2025 edition.
Macuei came close to a similar feat, scoring 17 points with a 7-for-10 shooting performance. Washington, the other player to reach double digits (17 points), was one rebound short of a double-double.
STATS DON'T LIE: Egypt dominated the first half with 8 steals, but failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
South Sudan dominated in the second half, winning the rebounding battle 66-30. They also led 19-7 in second-chance points and dominated 44-28 in paint points and 25-7 in bench points.
For a team that prides itself on shooting from the perimeter, Egypt's 6-for-31 performance, especially in the final quarter, speaks to their desperation, especially when compared to South Sudan's 4-for-14.
South Sudan took spectacular care of the ball in the second half, finishing with 27 turnovers after recording 19 in the opening two quarters. BOTTOM LINE: It's not how one starts that matters, but how one finishes. After two losses in the Group Phase, South Sudan are through to the Last Eight. How about that?
South Sudan achieved a historic victory on the continent by making their first appearance and reaching the Last Eight. This also marks their first victory against Egypt. The two teams had faced off four times since the East Africans first competed in the qualifiers in 2021, with Egypt winning every time.
WHAT THEY SAID: “In the second half, we just had to come together. We were down by almost 20 points. We stepped up our defense, controlled Number 15 (Raneen Elgedawy), who had 20 points in the first half, grabbed more rebounds, and pulled it through.
We knew it was now or never. We had to bring a different mindset or go home. We lost our first two games by a few points, but we always knew we were capable of winning. No one expected this win, which is why it means so much to us. Another win is what comes next for South Sudan.”– South Sudan center Maria Teresa Gakdeng.
"I'm just proud of my team. We did what we could. I’m not sure what happened in the third and fourth quarters. We weren’t focused enough. But we fought until the end. This is a young team, and some of the players are competing at this level for the first time. We are learning, and we are moving on to the next African Championship. Hopefully, we’ll come back stronger next time.” Egypt forward Asrar Bakr.
“The third quarter was our worst. We started the game really focused, and the scouting was on point. We were shooting really well. I don’t know what happened in the third quarter.
We were down, and we gave up so many offensive rebounds. It’s unacceptable for one South Sudan player to have twelve offensive rebounds. This is not okay. We were doing a good job boxing out. That’s how we lost. We gave up 44 points in the paint, and that’s not okay. We have to learn from our mistakes, bounce back quickly, and be ready in a year. We have to watch film, work on our mistakes, and learn how to stay focused for 40 minutes.
We have a lot of young players with bright futures. For some of them, this is their first African Championship, but it won't be their last. We have to bounce back. Hala [Elshaarawy] is going to come back stronger and work every day.” - Egypt forward Hala Elshaarawy.
FIBA