ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Espoir escaped with a 73-72 win after Nabaya Sofa’s star guard Sharif Fordman missed a crucial free throw that could have tied the game with under a second on the clock.
The start to the game was not rosy for Espoir, who arrived late for the tournament and had only eight players available for the game.
The Gabonese champions fell behind to an early 11-0 run from Nabaya but recovered after a timeout with their own 10-0 scoring run, and the rest of the game was a closely contest affair.
“It paid off, because we put in a lot of effort. We made a great effort, and it paid off,” Herman Igouwe, who led Espoir with 22 points and 9 rebounds, said with a broad smile.
Igouwe was quick to point out that the win will not deter the team as it’s only the beginning and there is still work to do.
On Tuesday, the Espoir will face Algerian side Nadi Basket Staoueli in the first game of Gameday 2.
“It’s not over; this is only the beginning. We need two wins to qualify for at least the semi-finals, or three wins to finish first in our group,” he said.
“Reinforcements should be arriving tomorrow, and we believe that once we’re at full strength, we’ll continue to give everything we’ve got to clinch that qualification.”
Michael Oganda-Igoué praised the effort from his players to win a difficult game under difficult circumstances. Despite having only eight players, Rachez Missouma and Westy Ashley Midepe fouled out late in the game.
“There is nothing easy; we have to fight on, and the guys did well.”
Ronald Kolmia chipped in with 20 points and pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds.
FIBA