LUANDA (Angola) - The Pharoahs of Egypt showed impeccable form in their opening evening AfroBasket victory over Mali on Tuesday at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda.
A 21-point performance by skilful guard Ehab Amin led the Egyptians to a 74-59 win. Big man Ahmed Khalaf dropped 16 points, team captain Amr el Gendy chipped in with 12 points, while Anas Mahmoud quietly worked his way to 10 points.
For Mali, Siriman Kanoute (16 points) and Oumar Ballo (14 points) fought to keep their country in the game, but it was not enough to stop Egypt from getting a second AfroBasket win over them.
The Egyptians raced to a 20-10 first-quarter lead. Ehab Amin orchestrated things for the men in red, getting his teammates involved early in the game and putting himself and his teammates in a position for open shots from three-point range. Egypt were 4/10 from the arc at the end of the quarter.
Ahmed Khalaf was a big benefactor from three as he finished 2/2 from three in the first half.
Between the second and third quarter, Mali was a more determined team. In the second quarter, the West Africans cut the lead seven (35-28) with Ballo grafting in the paint for his 10 points. Siriman Kanoute found his range from three, finishing 2/3, and racked up eight points in the process.
Mali would, unfortunately, capitulate in the third quarter as Egypt turned to their experience for the 15-point win.
TURNING POINT: The third quarter was the turning point as Egypt's experience showed against the Malians. Players like Amin and El Gendy remained calm when Mali made its runs, and it filtered through to the rest of the team.
HERO: Team captain Amr el Gendy took over the game for Egypt in the third quarter, with his veteran leadership and playmaking being the difference for Egypt. His dribble and cheeky floater to finish to beat the buzzer in the third quarter was an indication that the Pharaohs would not be denied victory.
STATS DON'T LIE: This game was always going to be about effort, which both teams put in. A few aspects of Egypt's game put them on the path to victory. Their 30 defensive rebounds, the 18/32 (56.25%) scoring in the paint and converting 9 of their 21 three-point attempts proved to be the difference.
BOTTOM LINE: The hard-fought win for Egypt puts them in a good place for an automatic quarter-final berth. There is still some way to go in the tournament, but the Pharaohs will be happy with their dominance over Mali.
WHAT THEY SAID: "The first win in the opening game of the tournament is important. It puts us ahead in the standings. It was a great team win and we have to keep building," said Patrick Gardner. "Mali went on a bunch of runs, but e kept our compsure and executed on defence."
FIBA