Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco In 2023 FIBA Afrocan Final Face-off

Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco In 2023 FIBA Afrocan Final Face-off

By Niyi Busari

Cote d'Ivoire will trade tackles with Morocco in the 2023 FIBA Afrocan basketball championship, BSNSports.com.ng reports 

Cote d'Ivoire qualified for the 2023 FIBA AfroCan Final thanks to a narrow 74-71 victory over Rwanda.

The Ivorians qualified for the Final of the competition for the first time in their history, where they will face Morocco, who defeated the DRC in the first semi-final.

The 'Elephants' managed to hold off the Rwandans, who took the lead in the dying seconds of the match.

It took the mastery of Sire Dieng and Mike Fofana to see the Ivorians snatch victory

Morocco held up and ended DR Congo's unbeaten run on Friday to qualify to the 2023 FIBA AfroCan Final.

In a highly contested clash, Morocco prevailed 76-69 to become the first team to beat the DR Congo at AfroCan since the tournament's inception in July 2019.

While Morocco are through to the AfroCan Final, to be held this Sunday, DR Congo will try to save the face in the Third-Place game against Rwanda. 

The Moroccans were barely troubled by a Congolese team that struggled to find their feet in the match.

Although there were a few flashes of brilliancy, Morocco quickly put an end to the DR Congo's ambitions thanks to an outstanding Jihad Benchlikha and a close-knit team on the floor.

Alongside Benchlikha were Soufiane Benhmine, Mohamed Choua, Abdelhakim Zouita and Hamza Foulani, all of whom finished with double-digit scores.