The world’s newest country, South Sudan, will compete in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup after securing their spot on Friday (February 24).
Led by Nuni Omot’s 26 points, South Sudan won an 83-75 win over Senegal to also secure a place in the top two teams in Group F – and thus their place at the event, which is being held in Japan, the Philippines, and takes place in Indonesia.
South Sudan went into the African qualifier at the Etihad Stadium in Alexandria, Egypt, with an 8-1 record, knowing that a win in any of the remaining three games would be enough.
However, the win against Senegal was not easy. The two teams traded the lead for much of the game, with South Sudan leading by just a point late in the first quarter and again at half-time.
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In fact, the West Africans took a four-goal lead after three quarters before South Sudan beat them 24-12 in the last quarter.
With two-time NBA star Luol Deng as interim head coach and association president, South Sudan now faces a historic World Cup run.
But Omot, who opened the shot on goal with a buoy, revealed why South Sudan were barred from meeting a challenging Senegalese side.
Umot shot 7 of 14 from the floor to finish with 26 points and added 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
Koch Bar came off the bench in favor of Deng Akyuth, who made his second error of the game three minutes into the game to add 11 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists to South Sudan’s history.
Badio did everything to keep Senegal in check. From creating chances that led to 6 assists to attacking the wing with a resounding dunk on Sunday in December, Badiou ended up scoring 29 points but despite the effort, it was South Sudan’s night.
