South Africa beat Zimbabwe in opener of regional qualifier for FIBA AfroBasket 2017
JOHANNESBURG (FIBA AfroBasket 2017) - South Africa on Friday came up with a performance for the ages beating Zimbabwe 74-67 in Johannesburg in the opener of a two-game series to determine who will clinch the last qualifying spot for FIBA AfroBasket 2017.
I'm backing the boys tonight @basketball_rsa π₯π₯π₯ππΏ#SAvsZim #FillUpWembleyStadium pic.twitter.com/ZpHWhyIHf6
— FANI FLASH (@AdelesBabyDaddy) April 14, 2017
Backed by a rowdy home crowd, South Africa rallied from a 21-point to take a commanding 1-0 lead in the regional qualifier.
Tsakani Ngobeni ignited the hosts' offense making 4 of his 5 three-point attempts to finish with a game-high 20 points, while Tawanda Chitsinde, Simbarashe Mungomezi and Tatenda Paul Maturure combined for 42 Zimbabwe points.
And local fans made sure to pay tribute to Ngobeni.
Tsakane dominance of the 4th quarter was remarkable. RSA prevails on game 1. Final score RSA74ZIM67. #SAvsZim #AfroBasket2017 #afrobasket
— Kita (@ThierryKita) April 14, 2017
The qualifier resumes on Saturday in Johannesburg, and the winner of the series will become the 14th national team to qualify for the FIBA AfroBasket 2017 in August in Congo-Brazzaville.
FIBA
