By Victor Kanayo
The triumphant Morocco basketball team are back to their base after winning the FIBA AfroCan 2023 competition.
To emerge victorious, the Moroccan side beat Cote d’Ivoire 78-76 in an evenly-matched encounter in Luanda, Angola.
The win sees Morocco improve from their 2019 AfroCan campaign when they finished fourth in Bamako for the inaugural edition of the competition.
Playing a fast-moving game, the Moroccans built on their success from the moment they took the lead after the break.
It’s Morocco’s first continental trophy since winning the 1965 FIBA AfroBasket.
Although Cote d’Ivoire got off to the best possible start (25-22), Morocco put their ambitions to bed in the second quarter, with a severe 21-11 run to take the lead (43-36).
Another run at 14-13 allowed them to cement their lead, until Cote d’Ivoire’s late awakening (27-21), which was certainly spectacular, but completely out of time as Morocco retained a two-point lead to claim the final victory.
Morocco got their big men to play in the painted area to score 46 points, while seeing their bench score a whopping 38 points compared to just 24 for the Ivorian bench.
The Moroccans were also in total control, with no fewer than 46 rebounds, including 30 on defense alone, while Cote d’Ivoire could only muster 37 rebounds (18 offensive, 19 defensive).
En route to the Final, Morocco finished second in Group C behind Tunisia, the only team they lost to.
Morocco then went on to defeat Cameroon, Kenya and the DR Congo before knocking out Cote d’Ivoire in the Final, finishing with a 5-1 record.
