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REGIONAL basketball giants Angola maintained their unbeaten run at the joint Afro-Basketball and All-Africa Games qualifiers, thumping Seychelles 103-43.
Angola, the defending Afro-Basketball champions, look set to finish the qualifiers with a 100 percent winning streak and earn themselves a ticket to the All-Africa Games set for Congo-Brazzaville later this year.
The Angolans, who are at the top of the table with eight points from four matches, today take on Zimbabwe who are competing for the second Afro-Basketball slot with South Africa.
On Wednesday night, Zimbabwe survived a second half scare from Seychelles in which the Indian Ocean islanders led by a single point at the end of the third quarter before the hosts turned up the heat and powered to a 63-52 victory.
Knowing that they will go down to Angola and have to lose by a respectable margin, Zimbabwe have now set their sights on the showdown against South Africa tomorrow with coach Chewy Gilbert looking for a minimum of 10-point margin victory that will see them qualifying for the Afro-Basketball.
Cheered on by Ngubo and Mgoqo primary schools pupils, Zimbabwe upped their game in the last quarter of the game, having taken a third quarter break narrowly leading 42-41.
When the fourth and last quarter began, Seychelles took a shock 44-42 lead before the home side bullied their way back to the top, taking a four-point lead in the first five minutes of the last stanza.
Tawanda Chitsinde top scored for the hosts, scoring 22 points while Tatenda Maturure came up with 12 points. Chitsinde’s elder brother and captain Taurai came up with eight points.
“Our focus now is to beat South Africa on Saturday by at least 10 points although of course we also need to pray that Seychelles beat South Africa on Friday (tomorrow) or give them a torrid time. We still remain confident of going through,” said Gilbert.
Online Reporter