DAKAR (Senegal) - For the DR Congo, entering the last game of the first round of Group F of the 2027 African Qualifiers with a shocking 2-7 record was all about pride.
Taking on Egypt, a team that caused one of the round's biggest upsets with their 76-67 win over hosts Senegal, was a monumental challenge for the Leopards.
But pride was on the line. With that in mind, the Congolese overcame their underdog status to outscore Egypt 77-75 and secure their third win of the campaign.
The DR Congo are now 3-6 with three games left in the second round. Their previous two wins were against Madagascar (87-79 and 82-62).
"We couldn't leave Dakar without a win," said power forward Jonathan Kasibabu, who contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds — his first double-double of the campaign.
Did the Congolese catch Egypt by surprise?
"We have been inconsistent throughout these qualifiers," said Egypt coach Agustin Julbe Bosch.
"After we beat Angola in Angola, we struggled against Uganda the following day. There are certain things we need to address about how we react after big wins."
The Congolese led by as many as 13 points early in the fourth quarter, but Egypt rallied, cutting the gap to just two points. However, their effort came a little too late.
"Even when one of our guys turned the ball over, we supported each other. That's how much this game meant to us," Kasibabu acknowledged.
"We came into this with our heads held high. It was all about pride," he added.
Mathieu Kamba had gone 0-for-6 on three-point shots in their 101-76 loss to Mali 24 hours earlier, but he bounced back with an impressive 6-for-9 shooting performance from behind the arc, scoring 23 points.
"That's what this team is made of," said DR Congo's Gaëtan Doucet. "I told him to keep shooting; that's his job."
"We are using this win to build our program's future," Douet said.
Egypt dropped to 4-5, while DR Congo improved to 3-6. The fifth and final window of the African Qualifiers resume in February 2027.
FIBA