Bright Stars Blaze! South Sudan’s Threes Drown Morocco 82-66 in Group A Opener

Bright Stars Blaze! South Sudan’s Threes Drown Morocco 82-66 in AfroBasket Opener

South Sudan began their FIBA AfroBasket 2025 qualifying campaign with an impressive 82-66 victory over Morocco in the opening Group A fixture.

A brilliant third-quarter performance by South Sudan's Bright Stars, during which they sank five three-pointers, proved to be the decisive factor. Luol Deng's squad rose to the occasion, meeting high expectations as the action unfolded on Friday, 22 November, in Dakar, Senegal.

Nuni Omot, the 2023 Basketball Africa League Most Valuable Player (MVP), led the Bright Stars' charge with 17 points. This tally was matched by Morocco's top scorer, Mohamed Choua, who narrowly missed a double-double, falling two rebounds short.

"We started the game slow, Morocco are excited to be here and they had a lot of energy. They were looking forward to play us and they really pushed us. I am happy with how my guys responded.

These kind of windows are hard to prepare for but we have some experienced players who took it upon themselves to get our identity back in the second half. It was a good game and a good win for us." ‍Deng offered after the match.

Kevin Franceschi opened the scoring with a three-pointer, combining effectively with Jihad Benchlikha to give Morocco an early 5-0 lead, which extended to 9-2. Franceschi and Khalid Boukichou further widened the margin to 12-6, and five minutes into the game, Morocco led 14-6.  

Kouat Noi responded for South Sudan with back-to-back three-pointers, capitalising on a Moroccan turnover for the first and receiving an assist from Jackson Makoi for the second. These efforts brought South Sudan within two points at 14-12. Despite the Bright Stars’ relentless attack, Morocco held their composure to close the first quarter with a 23-20 advantage.  

Seconds into the second quarter, Nyang Wek made it a one-point game. However, Franceschi and Benchlikha combined again, scoring six unanswered points to push Morocco’s lead to 29-22, prompting Luol Deng to call a timeout. Nuni Omot then stepped up, cutting the deficit to three points at 29-26 midway through the period, forcing Morocco to regroup with their own timeout.

Makoi and Kuany Atem Kuany's layups led South Sudan at 30-29. Soufiane Benhmine quickly restored Morocco's advantage from the free-throw line, but Junior Madut answered with consecutive scores to secure a 34-32 lead. Luol Deng's side maintained momentum, heading into the halftime break with a slender 36-34 advantage.  

At the start of the second half, Deng Angok Yak Deng ignited a 13-point surge, with nine of those points coming from three-pointers. This explosive run transformed a tight 42-41 contest into a commanding 55-41 lead with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. By the end of the period, South Sudan had outscored Morocco 28-13, entering the final quarter with a 17-point cushion.  

Midway through the fourth quarter, South Sudan extended their dominance, building a 20-point lead at 73-53. Coach Labib El Hamrani's Moroccan side had no answers to shift the game's trajectory.  

Despite committing more turnovers (15), the Bright Stars capitalised on Morocco's 14 errors, scoring 19 points compared to Morocco's eight. South Sudan's bench also played a pivotal role, outscoring their Moroccan counterparts 34-10, sealing an emphatic victory.

"We knew it would be a physical game and we held on until the third quarter where they took more threes and we couldn't stop them. After the first match we have more work to do defensively. We know what is expected of us to qualify and we have identified mistakes we need to work on as we face the other two teams in the group," Benchlikha offered.

‍

[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]