ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - There were two games with lopsided scores on the opening day of Group A action in Abidjan.
Egypt dominated Nigeria in the first Group A game of the 2026 U18 AfroBasket, and the host team, Côte d'Ivoire, proved too strong for Chad.
Hosts hit 100-point mark
Côte d’Ivoire gave home fans who made it to Palais des Sports de Treichville on Wednesday for the team’s FIBA U18 AfroBasket opener a lot to cheer about.
The team played an all-around entertaining game, with alley-oop dunks, transition pull-up 3-pointers, and showtime moments as they cruised to a 104-51 win over Chad.
Defensively, coach Stephane Konate ran the press on every Chad baseline inbound and traps if the ball advanced, forcing turnovers that led to 51 points.
“First, the main goal was to enjoy, and I think the players did that, but I always want us to play with energy, with that hunger, with that fight. I want the team to score as much as possible in every game,” Konate said.
By halftime, Côte d’Ivoire led 55-26, and even then, Konate was not content as he kept pushing and demanding his players to go for more in the second.
Côte d’Ivoire had five players score in double figures, led by Nathan Djako and Karl-Randell Kouame-Zeze with 19 points each.
Meanwhile, Chad’s star player Yaya Ngaba had a tough evening and limped off the court in the third quarter with muscle cramps but later returned in the fourth quarter. The forward finished with a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.
“We had a plan, and nothing went right,” coach Asnal Alain Noubaramadje admitted. “We didn’t defend, we gave them a lot of balls, and that is not us. We prepared for this game very well, but we were a little bit nervous. This is a game to forget.”
Egypt too deep for Nigeria
Still in Group A, Egypt also started with a bang, powering past Nigeria 95-68.
Playing with seven players, Nigeria could only fight for two quarters and ran out of legs in the second half, and Egypt stretched their lead into the 20s.
“We are hoping to represent our country the best we can by taking it game by game,” coach Rafik Safbiny of Egypt noted.
Neither team paid attention to defence in the first quarter, and both played an open running game, leading a combined 55 points.
“There was too much motivation by the players to steal the ball, to run, but they need to calm down a bit and play more set defence,” Safbiny said.
Next Up
Group A action continues on Friday with Egypt battling Côte d’Ivoire while Chad face Nigeria.
FIBA