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S. Gitahi2023 FIBA AfroCan: Morans take on Nigeria in classification match
Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 14.07.23. | 09:32
The winner of Friday's game will get a chance to play against the winner of the Tunisia-Angola game for a fifth place finish
Kenya men’s national basketball side - Kenya Morans - will on Friday afternoon return to the floor at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda Arena in Angola in a different quest as compared to Thursday, as they face a battle to finish in the highest position possible in their first of two FIBA AfroCan qualification matches.
The task will be against Nigeria - a team Kenya beat in the 2019 games in Mali, and one that is coming off a devastating defeat to defending tournament champions DR Congo by a score of 74-72.
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— 🇦🇴Luis Waleca🇵🇦 (@LuisWaleca) July 13, 2023
The defending champion survived the Nigeria power
DR CONGO 74 vs 72 NIGERIA#AFROCAN #basketball #FIBA #AFRICA #NIGERIA #CONGO pic.twitter.com/M2q6CrMun8
The game is expected to tip off at 1200 EAT.
Now obvious that Kenya’s route to the top took a dent, Cliff Owour will have to get his team ready, especially for a side that is coming off back to back defeats to Gabon and last edition’s semifinalists in Morocco.
After a bright start last Saturday - when Morans overpowered Ivory Coast to a 62-52 victory - the 2019 games finalists have found it rough going as they succumbed to lowly ranked Gabon on Monday, ultimately falling to the North Africans 55-46 on Thursday.
“We didn’t stick to our game plan and in the decisive moments when it all mattered, our inexperience showed,” Morans head coach Owuor said after the defeat, hinting that despite fielding a clearly rotated squad, more was expected in regards to big results.
The Kenya Men's Basketball team 'Morans' has been bundled out of the ongoing FIBA AfroChan tournament in Angola after losing 46-55 to Morocco in the quarter-finals. The team had reached the quarter-finals after topping Group A ahead of Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon. #KBCniYetu ^DB pic.twitter.com/EHen8FieOP
— KBC Channel1 News (@KBCChannel1) July 14, 2023
With many questioning the minutes a couple of players got on the court, it will be an interesting dynamic to see how Kenya rebound, with Nigeria proving to be a dangerous opponent.
After finishing second in Group B with a single win, Nigeria beat Gabon 71-55 in the quarters qualifications phase before forcing DR Congo to show up in the last seconds of the game to win a tight quarter final matchup on Thursday.
A look at their stats, the West Africans through-out this tournament - and in averages- dwarf the Morans team offensively; racking more points per game and on better efficiency in field goals and free throws.
Kenya however tops the mark for rebound among all sides, a key area for the team today.
In the other classification matchup, hosts Angola will face Tunisia from 1430 EAT.
The two games will serve as curtain raisers for the semi finals round that will see Morocco play DR Congo, with Rwanda attempting more history against Ivory Coast in the late evening kickoff.
