KIGALI (Rwanda) - Angola managed to resist for the first two quarters, but Egypt's zone defence and more disciplined offensive play ultimately ended their hopes of reaching the semifinals for the second time in a row.
This was a make-or-break game for the two teams that had finished second in their respective groups. Egypt deservedly won the game 69–51, mainly due to Angola's poor offensive coordination.
Omar Kathaby — who else? – set the tone, leading Egypt with 16 points. His teammate Yahia Ammar added 14 points, while Hussain Youssef contributed 12 points off the bench, helping Egypt improve their record to 3–1 and secure a place in the semi-final of the 2025 FIBA U16 AfroBasket.
Vanilson Domingos was the only Angolan player to score in double figures. He led all players in scoring with 19 points, and also had nine rebounds. His teammate Miguel Salabiaku added four points and 10 rebounds.
Angola displayed some jaw-dropping individual plays, but it is Egypt who remain in contention.
TURNING POINT: Egypt took to the court with a sense of urgency, opening the scoring with a three-pointer from Yahya Ammar, followed by a shot from Yehia Bekhit. lay-up.
However, Angola responded with a 7-0 scoring run to take the lead for the first time in the game, before Kathaby's three-pointer restored Egypt's advantage (8-7).
Angola managed to take the lead for the second and final time (11-10) midway through the opening quarter, before Bekhit initiated an 8-3 scoring run for Egypt to give them a 22-14 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
Angola cut their deficit to just one point later in the second quarter (28–27), but trailed 37–32 at half-time.
The worst was yet to come for Angola, though, as Egypt outscored them 21–8 in the third quarter.
Angola's only two leads in the game reflected Egypt's dominance.
HERO: Sensing that Angola were struggling to shoot from mid or long range, Egypt's coaching staff implemented a zone defence, which ultimately ended Angola's chances in the game.
The more Angola insisted on driving to the basket, the more sloppy their play became. They ultimately finished with 23 turnovers, nine of which came in the opening quarter alone.
Angola grabbed 55 rebounds, 26 of which were offensive, but Egypt's collective effort proved to be the deciding factor. Egypt's bench outscored their opponents' by 23–11.
STATS DON'T LIE: A clear example of Angola's struggles was evident in their performance in the three-point shooting category, where they achieved a mere 2 out of 18 shots, in contrast to Egypt's impressive 10 out of 24.
BOTTOM LINE: Angola impressed with some of their flashy plays, including a number of spectacular dunks.
However, it was Egypt's maturity and composure that really set the two teams apart.
This win marks Egypt's ninth consecutive appearance in the Last Four of the U16 AfroBasket.
Angola, on the other hand, will have to settle for a modest result in the Classification Round.
The key takeaway from this Angola vs. Egypt game is that collective effort always wins over individual effort. Angola finished with 11 assists, compared to Egypt's 18.
FIBA