AfroBasket - Hosts rule in Abidjan, Algeria get first win

ABIDJAN (AfroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Cote d'Ivoire's hopes of securing one of the three places available for African teams for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup were boosted on Day 3 of AfroBasket 2013 as they trounced Senegal 74-46 in their second Group A game.

The hosts outplayed Senegal with an exuberant performance by forward Charles Abouo who scored nine of his team-high 15 points from behind the arc.

Both team and home crowd made it clear who rules in Abidjan, and the game confirmed Cote d’Ivoire as Senegal's insurmountable opponent.

Senegal has not beaten Cote d’Ivoire since AfroBasket 2001.

One of the highlights of the night occurred in the third quarter when Senegal's Ibrahima Mbengue and Cote d’Ivoire's Mohamed Kone had a little altercation that ended with a handshake causing an overwhelming applause from the sellout crowd.

After showing a competitive spirit in the first three quarters of their Group A opener on Tuesday against the tournament hosts, Algeria on Thursday proved they are not in Abidjan to make up numbers by beating Egypt 67-63.

This was Algeria's first victory over Egypt in AfroBasket competition and saw them move into second place in the group's standings ahead of Senegal and Egypt.

In the day's opening game, Cape Verde climbed to second in Group C following a 90-82 win over Central African Republic (CAF) as five players scored in double digits.

Cape Verde captain Rodrigo Mascarenhas had 17 points and 12 rebounds, while CAF registered their second defeat despite some balanced scoring of their own with Michael Mokongo (14 points), heading five players who scored 11 or more points.

In the final game of the day, Angola beat Mozambique 91-73 to remain unbeaten and top Group C. The Angolans trailed 38-37 at the break but pulled away gradually in the second half. Carlos Morais had a game-high 16 points and Olimpio Cipriano added 11 in the winning cause.

For full and in-depth coverage of AfroBasket 2013, go to the official website http://abidjan2013.fibaafrica.com/.

FIBA