DAKAR (Senegal) - Senegal sent their fans home in a cheerful mood on Sunday night after ending the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers with a victory.
They joined a group of four teams who all finished the first round with an impressive 5–1 record. The other teams are Cameroon, Mali, and Côte d'Ivoire.
The DR Congo had been a bogey team for Senegal in recent times, as the Central African nation twice beat the Lions of Teranga in the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers.
On Sunday, Senegal rewrote the script in the second window with an 89-63 win in Group B at the Marius Ndiaye Stadium.
While both teams qualified for the next round, Senegal have looked good in this third window, setting a blocks record (12) in the 85-72 win over Côte d’Ivoire, and they became the second team to score 100 points in their 101-59 victory over Madagascar.
In their final game coach DeSagana Diop’s team, who finished the group with a 5-1 record, made sure they were 2-2 in terms of wins and losses against the Congolese.
In World Cup qualifiers, Badji, who recorded six blocks in the win over Madagascar on Saturday, now shares second spot with Iran’s Hamaed Heddadi and Australia’s Luke Travers.
Senegal sits at the top of Group B and will head into the next round having settled on their defensive identity.
Meanwhile, coach Diop lamented his team’s slow start and felt his players initially lacked urgency before picking things up in the second half.
“I am very proud of my team. Yes, in the first-half we looked like we are not ready to play. We thought we could just come out bounce the ball and we would win. I am still proud of them. To hold the team to 19 points in the second half. We picked up our intensity and using the press to get easy buckets. I am proud of my team. We got three wins and advance to the next round where the teams will be much better,” said Diop.
DR Congo kept it close against Senegal until the first five minutes of the third quarter (51-50), but the Lions showed their class as their defence suffocated the Leopards and their aggressive offence found openings that the Congo could not plug.
FIBA