NAIROBI (KENYA) – South Sudanese Fox Basketball achieved a victory of 83-81 in overtime against the Zambians of Matero Magic of Zambia. A victory which comes as a consolation prize, while their trip to the Elite 16 of the Eastern Division ended 1-2, subjecting them to their third defeat for a record of 0-3.
The match was decided in the last 11 seconds of overtime thanks to a three-point shot from Stephen Garbrah, while Matero's counterattack was unsuccessful.
Prince Ifeanyi Chison Orizu opened the scoring for Fox, but Donovan Lamont Jones scored four times to give the Zambians the lead. Four minutes later, Matero took off (12-9), to lead 16-9 at halftime.
The second part of the quarter, however, was the prerogative of Fox who came back to equalize at 19, Joel Lukoji Banza and Mayom David Anyak Garang contributing to the comeback. The latter gave Fox the lead back at 20-19 and they kept at it, leading the quarter 27-23.
Ajou Deng's charges dominated the second quarter with a score of 22-15. They overcame their slow start with 6 of 14 shooting from the three-point line in the first half of the game. Things turned around in the third quarter, with Matero going on a 7-0 run in the first three minutes to reduce their deficit to four points (49-45). Fox responded with a series (58-47), but the Zambians fought to get back to 60-56 before the last quarter.
THE TURNING POINT OF THE MATCH: Three three-pointers in the first two minutes of the second quarter for Manual Bol Malual in an 11-0 run put Fox up 38-23. Manuel Da Silva's protégés had to be content to catch up at the end of the quarter (22-15), leaving the Zambians with 11 points (49-38) before half-time.
However, it all came down to the final quarter, with Matero fighting to tie it at 66 with 4:51 left, Isaac Kwesi Jr giving the Zambians the lead for the first time since the first quarter at 69-66.
The match ended with a score tied at 72, while it was still open until the last seconds of overtime.
-THE HERO: Akuel Marko Kot was by far the best player of the game, with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE: Fox ensured good control from the free throw line, especially at the end of the match, with 77.8% (21 of 27) against 55.3% for Matero, who missed 17 of his 38 shots, including some in crucial moments that could have swung the match in his favor.
Matero struggled to control the ball in the first two matches, losing it 28 and 20 times each time, but fared better against Fox, with just 14 turnovers. They scored 23 points to the South Sudanese's 23, which allowed them to rally in the second half and have a chance to escape.
THEY SAID: “This loss was due to decision-making on the field. We had an opportunity to win after making a comeback in the second half. The loss of Donovan Lamont Jones in the final moments of the fourth quarter also affected our game, because he and Saul Phiri had a good understanding and pushed us forward. However, I take away positive points from our journey and from this match, because there was progress. We talked a lot about our defense before. today's match and the players behaved well”, Manuel Da Silva, entrant of Matero Magic.
“It feels good to win. We knew we were out of the running for a semi-final place before this match, but we wanted a positive result. Entering the competition with new players and a new coaching team was difficult, but we improved with each match and this victory reinforces our desire to continue improving,” Ajou Deng, head coach of Fox Basketball.
FIBA
