A look back at the opening day of the 2023 FIBA AfroCan

 

LUANDA (Angola) – Four games, and no big surprises at the conclusion of Day 1 of the 2023 FIBA AfroCan in Luana, Angola.

This article takes a look back at the firs four games of the twelve-nation tournament. 

With reigning  champions DR Congo and hosts Angola living up to expectations on Saturday after wins over Cameroon and Mali respectively, other events at Kilamba Arena couldn't have gone unnoticed. 

Ogechi shine for Kenya against Cote d'Ivoire

Derrick Ogechi

Kenya, 2019 FIBA AfroCan silver medallist, are on the right track after they kick started their 2023 AfroCan campaign against Cote d'Ivoire.

They got away with a 10-point win (62-52) with Derrick Ogechi claiming a man-of-the-match performance with 19 points and 8 rebounds.

Fellow teammate Tom Bush Wamukota also had a performance for the books as he grabbed 19 rebounds, while Team Morans captain Griffin Ligare sank 13 points and 3 rebounds to help the winning cause.

The Ivorians tried to put up with a strong performance and nearly succeeded in shaking Kenya's confidence on the court.

Ulrich Kra finished the game with 14 points, along with 3 rebounds. Yacouba Sanogo also finished in the double digits, with 13 points along with 2 rebounds.

Kenya proved too much for Cote d'Ivoire

Did Cote d'Ivoire ever stand a chance against Kenya? A looking back a the game and we see that the East Africans came with high intentions to try and have another shot in the title race. 

Cote d'Ivoire will take on Gabon in their second game of the tournament on Sunday while Kenya face Gabon 

Tunisia outplay Rwanda

Jawhar Jawadi

Tunisia are on a rebuilding mission and the 2023 FIBA AfroCan might be the perfect starting place for their rebuilding dreams. Rwanda gave them a good run for their money even though Tunisia walked away with the win 67-61.

Jawhar Jawadi put a performance for the ages as he helped Tunisia grab this victory.

He scored 22 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and distributes 4 assists and topped it all off with 3 steals to call himself the man of the match.

Oussama Marnaoui also made sure Tunisia were in front, contributing 16 points and 4 rebounds along with 2 assists and 1 steal to the winning cause.

Rwanda also resisted as much as they could. So much so that everyone thought they would overtake Tunisia in the second quarter, but the Tunisians were never short of arguments to defend their advantage.

While Dan Manzi (14 points, 5 rebounds) and Dieudonne Ndizeye (16 points, 2 rebounds) tried to get past the Tunisian block, the Rwandan reaction was not enough to shake it off.

FIBA