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S. Gitahi2025 Afrobasket Qualifiers: Morans in 'save face' mode against Angola after Friday beatdown
Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 24.02.24. | 10:28
In the other Group E fixture, Guinea takes on Tunisia from 1900 EAT
Such was the nature of Kenya Moran’s beatdown by hosts and favorites Tunisia in the opening game of the 2025 FIBA Afrobasket Qualifiers that certainly puts more focus on what Cliff Owour and his side conjure up against Angola on Saturday.
The team’s second game is scheduled for a 1300 EAT tipoff at Salle Mohamed Mzali Arena in Monastir, but carrying with it bitter feelings of a 90-69 humiliation at the same venue on Friday night.
Despite a fast start to the game, one that was littered by Albert Odero jumpers to give Kenya an early lead, all of Kenya’s energy came to a halt immediately the team capped 11 points midway in the first quarter; a score-line that persisted to less than seven minutes left in the second quarter.
On the other end, Tunisia, three time champions of this competition to their credit, looked a different outfit, seizing on all on offer, to make a crazy 25-0 run.
“I felt like the adjustments we made early on in the first quarter ruined our aggressiveness,” coach Owuor tried to make sense of the humbling defeat before saying: “Tunisia were just better than us.”
The North Africans dominated Morans on all fronts: winning the rebounds duel 44-30, 11-6 advantage on steals, 27 points off turnovers as compared to Kenya’s 12, led for 33:56 minutes, and possibly had more hunger and structure.
“We will obviously take some lessons from what we did right in the third quarter when we made a run that cut their [Tunisia] lead to eleven or thereabouts,” Owuor said. “That, plus maintaining a high level of aggression on offense and defense will be key for us in our next game.”
Angola are up next, and furious for a different reason: in that they snatched a win (76-70) from what looked like a defeat in the hands of Guinea.
Saving face is needed.
