FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2023 Recap
Reviewing the last of the summer's continental competitions
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also buy Her Hoop Stats gear, such as laptop stickers, mugs, and shirts!
Haven’t subscribed to the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter yet?
The 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket was the final continental competition of the summer, and it certainly was the least predictable. While Nigeria won the title for the fourth time in a row and Senegal finished in second place for the third time during that run, there was no shortage of surprises. After dropping both group stage games, Senegal caught fire during the knockout rounds. Host country Rwanda finished fourth in their first Women’s AfroBasket since 2011 - the longest drought snapped by any of the 12 teams competing. Teams had ups and downs throughout the tournament, and there was plenty of excitement at all points. Let’s take a look at how it all shook out!
12. Congo DR (0-3)
The only team in the competition not to win a single game, the Congo DR was simply unable to compete offensively. The most obvious way to demonstrate this is through their total lack of 3-point shooting, as the team shot 6-for-49 (12.2%) from deep in their three games, finishing dead-last in both attempts per game and that 3-point percentage. Congo DR was able to get out in transition against Egypt, scoring 78 points, but its best way of scoring overall was by getting to the free-throw line, averaging 25.7 free-throw attempts per game, a figure that admittedly did not really stand out against the field. Congo DR did have a balanced offensive attack, with no players averaging 10 points per game but five players averaging at least 7.7. The other thing that kept Congo DR at least somewhat in games was its rebounding, ranking behind only Uganda with 56.0 rebounds per game and 36.7 defensive rebounds per game. Statistically, the most notable number was Ketia Mbelu’s 5.0 assists per game, but she had even more turnovers than assists. Ultimately, Congo DR was just overmatched.
11. Côte d’Ivoire (1-2)
Côte d’Ivoire defeated Angola in its second group stage match but was not at all competitive in its games against Rwanda and Mozambique. Offense was a major struggle, and the team’s 51.7 points per game ranked ahead of only Guinea. A major factor was its 23.7 turnovers per game, second-most in the tournament. Additionally, the team was second-lowest in the tournament with only 12.0 assists per game, again ahead of only Guinea. Côte d’Ivoire’s best offensive performance and only double-figure scoring run came from Djefarima Diawara, who demonstrated versatile scoring during a 21-point outpouring against Angola. Defensively, Côte d’Ivoire’s 13.3 steals per game was tied for third in the tournament, and the team had three players who averaged at least 2.7 steals per game: Diawara, Hanna Amani, and Grace Tolo. Tolo was an extremely effective defensive playmaker as she also averaged 2.7 blocks per game, second in the tournament, and was the team’s only rotation player with a positive +/-. Ultimately, Côte d’Ivoire will need more balance between offense and defense in order to perform better in the future.
10. Egypt (1-2)
Egypt has a clear case for having the most disappointing placement of any team at the tournament. It had made the quarterfinals at each of the last five AfroBaskets, a streak of appearances that also started its longest streak of consecutive qualifications. However, there was some bad luck at play as the team was stuck playing against eventual silver medalists Senegal in the opening round after Senegal sputtered to an 0-2 mark in the group stage. Having played Nigeria in the group stage, it played two of its three games against the tournament’s finalists. Egypt featured one of the competition’s top scorers in attacking wing Nadine Soliman. Her overall numbers were buoyed by a 34-point explosion against an overmatched Congo DR, but she averaged 21.0 points per game behind a combination of smooth and speedy driving and the ability to shoot 3-pointers even off screens. Soliman was not the team’s only player to showcase her athleticism as the team led the tournament with 6.3 blocks per game. Post player Raneem Elgedawy led the way with 3.0 blocks per game, and she also made her defensive mark laterally with 2.0 steals per game. Something that hurt Egypt considerably was its free-throw shooting as the team shot a disappointing 45.9% from the free-throw line, the worst in the tournament with only Côte d’Ivoire being close. Additionally, dynamic playmaking guard Soraya Degheidy struggled all tournament, recording 0.64 points per shot and only being able to dig into her Mary Poppins-esque bags of tricks as a passer against Congo DR. Losing by 18 and 11 points against Nigeria and Senegal, respectively, may indicate that Egypt did not have a realistic chance of competing for the podium, but it is still worth pondering how far Egypt could have gone with a luckier draw.
9. Angola (1-2)
Angola certainly played the tightest slate of games during the tournament, with its most lopsided result being a six-point victory against Rwanda. Those games were also foul fests as Angola led the tournament with an incredible 33.0 free-throw attempts per game and also with 23.0 fouls committed per game. This was ultimately its undoing in its 71-69 knockout game elimination, as opponents Guinea shot 40 free-throw attempts and converted 31 of them. Depth was also an issue for Angola. Its five leading minute-getters all had positive +/- figures while no one else on the roster did. Furthermore, those first five players also accounted for 84.0% of Angola’s points. That starting core did include several excellent players. Post player Cristina Matiquite was a rebounding machine, leading the tournament with 13.0 rebounds per game, while also providing excellent quick decision-making as a passer from the elbow. Point guard Cacia Antonio led the tournament with 6.0 assists per game while recording an impressive 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Finally, 19-year-old wing Sara Caetano led the team in scoring at 18.0 points per game, demonstrating good relocation ability to make herself open for 3-point shots while using her exciting athleticism to drive to the rim on offense and to turn away drivers at the defensive end. It is difficult to assess exactly how well Angola performed, especially with its group-stage cohort of Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire marking by far the weakest trio, but its results were discouraging from any reasonable perspective.
8. Guinea (1-5)
Guinea’s 71-69 victory over Angola in the qualification for the quarterfinals was one of the strangest, perhaps flukiest results of the entire tournament. Not only was it a victory over a team with a much stronger historical track record and which unlike Guinea had won a game in the group stage, but Guinea never otherwise never scored more than 50 points or came within 20 points of any other opponent. Furthermore, Guinea’s score was doubled or more in half of its games, with the worst drubbing coming in its first game of the tournament, a 99-40 result against Mozambique. The team’s key player was former UCF post player Masseny Kaba, and her most impactful skill was getting to the free-throw line, drawing a whopping 11.0 free-throw attempts per game. Kaba absorbed the lion’s share of the team’s offense, recording 36.5% of her team’s points. However, she also shared her team’s general difficulty with finishing around the basket, collectively shooting a paltry 25.9% on 2-point shots. Besides Kaba, the only other player to average as many as six points per game was guard Fatoumata Jallow. As lucky as it might have been, an eighth-place finish marks Guinea’s best since 1994, and all players involved are surely happy with that fact.
7. Uganda (3-3)
Uganda was one of two teams that put together its best-ever AfroBasket performance at this tournament, never having previously finished better than ninth. Naturalized player Jannon Otto ran Uganda’s offense, with her comfort on mid-range jump shots and her ability to draw fouls proving especially valuable. Otto was adept at moving both on and off the ball, making herself available for open shots. The team also featured a pair of quality post players in Claire Lamunu and Mellissa Akullu, with Lamunu bringing the team’s main shot-blocking presence. Forward Jane Asinde was the team’s most traditionally athletic player, averaging 6.0 free-throw attempts per game in just 22.6 minutes as a true perimeter player. Uganda’s most impressive performance was its 85-83 upset of Senegal in its latter group stage game where it dominated on the boards and both Otto and Asinde scored more than 20 points and dished out at least three assists. However, ball security was a massive weakness. Uganda committed more turnovers than any other team, averaging 24.5 per game (not including shot clock violations and 5-second violations). This was evident during its quarterfinal appearance against Rwanda when its ballhandlers struggled immensely with the host team’s full-court pressure during the middle portion of the game. Asinde’s injury toward the end of the first half, which also kept her out of Uganda’s loss in the 5th-8th place classification game against Mozambique, also had a clear effect. Uganda may not have shown anything to indicate future juggernaut status, but it was able to find effective offense from multiple positions even despite its ball-handling difficulties.
6. Cameroon (3-2)
A versatile and balanced starting line-up helped bring Cameroon agonizingly close to what would have been its second semifinal appearance after winning a group that included a very competitive Mozambique team. The team’s leader was naturalized point guard Jessica Thomas, who controlled the tempo as the team’s primary ballhandler and scorer. Her steadiness helped the team finish second-best in avoiding turnovers. Wing Monique Makani finished third in the tournament with 5.4 assists per game and brought considerable two-way value. Forward Marina Ewodo brought significant value as a versatile offensive wing, able to shoot from distance in different situations and make plays as a driver or passer off the dribble. Power forward Carine Salitsa demonstrated her power and speed as a driver while also bringing vertical pop on the defensive end. Finally, center Hermine Ngueko brought a strong, solid low-post presence who could power through defenders on the block. Having effective scoring threats throughout the line-up was tremendously useful, carrying the team to second in the tournament in 2-point field-goal percentage. However, Cameroon had clear flaws. It finished dead-last in free-throw attempts per game, 15.2, with Côte d’Ivoire being the only other team to average fewer than 22.7. Thomas, for all her ability and experience playing at high levels of European club play, did not put up nearly as gaudy of numbers as other naturalized players. There ultimately was maybe one element missing that it would have needed to overcome Senegal or to push past Mozambique in their rematch in the fifth-place classification game. Perhaps that could be as simple as the return of Seattle Storm center Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu for a future competition.
5. Mozambique (4-2)
Mozambique’s tournament started with a close loss to Cameroon, but it took care of business for the rest of the tournament, playing Nigeria closer than any other team and avenging that opening loss in the fifth-place classification game. Mozambique got more of its scoring from its interior players than most other teams, with three of its four double-figure scorers being post players. The leader in this area was former UTEP player Tamara Seda, who used good positioning to make herself open and also averaged 11.8 rebounds per game, second-most in the tournament. As a result, Mozambique led the tournament in 2-point percentage at 45.5%. Mozambique also had strong ball movement, ranking second in the tournament with 20.8 assists per game. Defensively, it applied heavy pressure, stymying opponents and allowing no team to score more than 59 points prior to the two classification matches. Wing Ingvild Mucauro and point guard Silvia Veloso were instrumental to this pressure, and Mucauro leveraged her athleticism to get out in transition en route to leading the team in scoring. However, Mozambique struggled considerably to score in the halfcourt during games like its quarterfinal match-up against Nigeria, limiting its offensive ceiling. Its second consecutive fifth-place finish was probably the most appropriate outcome, but it would be reasonable for Mozambique and its fans to be disappointed that it could not reach a little bit higher.
4. Rwanda (2-3)
A kind draw and homecourt advantage certainly made matters easier for the hosts. Rwanda’s group stage included Angola - who would be upset by Guinea, arguably the tournament’s weakest team, in the knockout round - and Côte d’Ivoire, who finished a disappointing 11th. Then its quarterfinal came against Uganda, whose shock upset of Senegal in the group stage gave them unexpected ballast in the draw. As a result, it became clear in the medal round that Rwanda was desperately outclassed, losing to Nigeria and Mali by an average of 34.5 points. However, they still had to take advantage of the situation and obtain their historic fourth-place performance.
Two young guards who just finished accomplished five-year NCAA careers led the team to its best finish ever. Janai Crooms’s combination of power and speed allowed her to pressure the rim constantly while she also protected the rim defensively. Meanwhile, Destiney Philoxy ran the show, not just initiating offense but attacking closeouts aggressively when the ball swung back to her. These two high-quality guards were clearly a class above their teammates, scoring more than half of the team’s points, but Rwanda did find strong performances from elsewhere. In the quarterfinal matchup against Uganda, the team forced 26 turnovers, and Ineza Sifa made four shots from deep range in the third quarter. In addition, center Hope Butera was technically the team’s only rotation player with a positive +/- for the tournament, although Crooms was technically only -1 across the team’s five games. However, Rwanda’s top-heaviness was a concern, albeit not the only one. While raw rebounds are generally not an especially useful statistic at the team level, it is worth noting that Rwanda finished 11th in the tournament in rebounds per game ahead of only Guinea. In addition, the team finished 10th in free-throw percentage at a paltry 58.9%. Rwanda is in a great position moving forward, especially if Washington State center and fringe 2024 WNBA Draft prospect Bella Murekatete opts to join the team in future tournaments. However, it will need to round out its supporting cast in order to challenge for spots at global tournaments, especially since it will lose the advantage of playing in front of its own fans.
3. Mali (4-1)
The stark opposite of Angola, Mali did not really have a close game all tournament, the closest thing to an exception being its 10-point semifinal loss against Senegal. Its lone truly competitive victory, a 14-point game against Uganda, was its first contest without Chicago Sky power forward Sika Kone for travel-based reasons. Kone seems to be the headliner for Mali for the foreseeable future, and she certainly did not disappoint. After missing the tournament opener against Uganda, Kone averaged 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, but that understates her impact. Mali’s two most important games came against the same opponent, Senegal, once in the group stage and once in the semi-finals. In those two games, Kone recorded 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in the first game and 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in the latter. Those assist numbers are especially critical given how few Kone has generally recorded while playing in club competition in Spain and in her nascent WNBA career. Just as importantly, Kone only recorded five turnovers in her 96 minutes, especially impressive given her tendency to commit high numbers of turnovers in other contexts.
Perhaps as a direct result of its tendency to blow opponents out, Mali seemed to mix and match more than any other team in the tournament. Three players, including Kone, played rotation-level minutes while missing one of the team’s five games, and no player averaged fewer than ten minutes per game played. The one notable exception was indispensable shooting guard Djeneba N’Diaye, who averaged 27.7 minutes per game. N’Diaye was actually the team’s most important player, leading the team with 14.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.0 steals per game - the steals number was the second-highest in the tournament and the highest among players who reached the quarterfinals. N’Diaye was a terror in transition, generating runouts that helped her to a 2-point percentage of 60.7% and 6.0 free-throw attempts per game. Mali’s entire team pressured defenses considerably, leading the tournament with 15.0 steals per game and actually recording more steals than turnovers. Mali remained extremely disciplined despite that tenacity and recorded the fewest fouls per game in the tournament at 16.2. One of the team’s most impactful players was Maimouna Haidara. Still only 19 years old, Haidara is a star at the youth level, and while her offense is still very much in development, her defensive versatility is significant. Listed at 6-foot-2, Haidara spent a significant amount of time guarding point guards, including tournament superstar Cierra Dillard (more on her in a moment). Where Mali struggled the most was behind the arc, attempting 26.2 3-point attempts per game, more than any team besides Senegal, but only converting 22.1% of them. Kone and Haidara seem primed to lead their team for years to come, but Mali needs more consistency from the perimeter to challenge teams at the global competitions once it returns to that level.
2. Senegal (3-3)
Matters looked dire in the group stage when Senegal dropped both group stage matches, a shocking 85-83 upset at the hands of Uganda and a 72-49 dismantling by Mali. However, it redeemed itself with an exciting run through the knockout stages, with wins over a respectable lineup of Egypt, Cameroon, and Mali before falling to Nigeria. Senegal is one of the continent’s traditional powerhouses, having missed the final only twice since 1990, but it was a recently naturalized player who propelled the team back to the top two after its fourth-place finish in 2021. Former University of Buffalo point guard and WNBA draft pick Cierra Dillard finished third in the tournament with 20.7 points per game and second in assists with 5.5 per game, all the while averaging extremely efficient values of 1.25 points per shooting attempt and 1.09 points per possession. Her offense was unstoppable as the tournament progressed, as she averaged 27.0 points per game in Senegal’s last three games, with a highwater mark of 33 coming in the semifinals against Mali. Her ability to pull up from beyond the 3-point line commanded hedges from opposing defenses, and she was also a menace driving to the hoop, shooting 59.5% on 2-point attempts and averaging 8.8 free-throw attempts per game. When the defense fully collapsed on her, she distributed effectively to rollers and especially to shooters spotted up along the perimeter. She was a tremendous boost to an established core with a couple of aging stars, and while AfroBasket may not generally be known for its sterling guard play, her performance should put the best teams in the world on notice.
Dillard was the clear star of the team, but other players stepped up when needed. Forty-year-old forward Aya Traore, competing in her first major international tournament since 2017 despite her club career continuing apace, got off to a roaring start with a 29-point explosion against Uganda before struggling the rest of the tournament. Yacine Diop, Senegal’s leading scorer in 2021, heated up later in the tournament. Diop helped keep the team afloat in their final loss with 16 points, slicing to the hoop and canning open jumpers. Center Fatou Diagne scored 17 points against Egypt in the first knockout-round game, a game where Dillard did not score until there was only 2:29 left in the game and Diop did not see the floor until the second half. Another strength of Senegal’s team was the fact that it generally played shooters at the forward and even center positions, with players like Traore, Diop (who did play a fair amount of shooting guard), Fatou Pouye, and Arame Niang, and power forward Oumoul Sarr providing floor spacing (although Sarr’s shooting range essentially dies with her heels atop the 3-point arc). This was reflected in the fact that Senegal led the tournament in 3-point attempts and finished second in 3-point percentage behind only the victors, Nigeria. At the end of the day, Senegal was clearly a step behind Nigeria, but it indicated that it should put together a solid showing at its Olympic Qualifying Tournament in February.
1. Nigeria (5-0)
Nigeria was the class of the tournament for the fourth straight AfroBasket, winning all of its games by double digits save for a defensive slugfest against Mozambique in the quarterfinals. This version of the team, however, featured something those previous champions had not - a dominating scorer. Combo forward and Tournament MVP Amy Okonkwo averaged 17.4 points per game, notably more than any other Nigeria player during its run of titles, and did so both efficiently (1.19 points per shot and 1.07 points per possession) and with great versatility. Okonkwo’s greatest strength is her shooting touch, and she shot 11-for-28 (39.3%) from deep range and a fantastic 22-for-23 (95.7%) from the free-throw line across the five games, but she also drove well to the basket and could post up smaller players. While previous teams’ lack of dominance may have really been a lack of top-heaviness, Okonkwo stepped up in the absence of traditional backcourt leaders Ezinne Kalu, Promise Amukamara, and Adaora Elonu.
Okonkwo was far from the only player to take a step forward. Next on the hierarchy in terms of both minutes and points was recent Duke graduate Elizabeth Balogun, a reserve player for several cycles who brought her two-way versatility into new prominence. Sarah Ogoke had been the third guard on Nigeria’s roster for years, and while she struggled with efficiency in the lead role for most of the tournament, she had an excellent performance in the final against Senegal. In addition, two young players took on major backcourt roles in their first major tournaments for Nigeria. Ifunaya Okoro, Nigeria’s 6-foot back-up point guard, tied for the team lead in assists while averaging 10.0 points per game. Meanwhile, recent TCU graduate Tomi Taiwo moved into a role as a strict 3-point specialist, shooting 12-for-27 (44.4%) from beyond the arc. To no surprise, Nigeria was the most accurate outside shooting team with a 32.1% mark from deep. It would be negligent, however, while talking about all of these perimeter players to ignore Nigeria’s traditional strength - rebounding. Nigeria actually was tied for third in rebounding with 55.0 rebounds per game, but certainly did not struggle at that end. Most notably, young post player Murjanatu Musa averaged 3.8 offensive rebounds per game while former Northwestern star Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah averaged 8.2 rebounds in only 15.3 rebounds per game. All in all, Nigeria won once again by being the tournament’s most complete team.
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
It's really sad that we don't get to see these games on TV and don't know most of the players except for those who play on P5 college teams on in the WNBA. Sounds like there might have been some quality B-ball played!