On Sunday, the Ivory Coast basketball team secured their qualification to the 2023 Basketball World Cup after a 77-69 win against Cape Verde.
With the win, the Elephants topped Group E in the second round of qualifiers and became the first African side to qualify.
The team’s captain Stephane Konate alongside Alexander Poythress both claimed 16 points in the win in front of a capacity home crowd at the Palais des Sports de Treichville.
The defeat saw Cape Verde slip to third as Angola climbed into the second spot, recording a third straight victory with a 70-67 win against fourth-placed Nigeria.
The other match in the group saw Guinea beat Uganda 76-69 to trade places at the bottom. All three matches in the group this weekend were played in Abidjan.
In Group F, Egypt missed the chance to book their place at the World Cup and lost the top spot to their opponents South Sudan who came out 85-65 victors in the match hosted in Monastir, Tunisia.
Sunday Dech, with 18 points and 5 assists, was the star for South Sudan, who now need just one more win to qualify.
Senegal thumped Cameroon 90-71 and holds the third position – the best third-placed side will join the top two teams from the two groups at next year’s World Cup.
The second round of qualifying resumes in February for the tournament which will be held in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia from 25 August to 10 September 2023.
