Egypt squad defeats Indomitable Lions Basketball team
Kamal Khalifa led Egypt to an 83-77 win over Cameroon in AfroBasket 2015 Group C action on Friday, but two Egypt bench players made bigger impact.
Khalifa finished with a team-high 15 points, but it was back-up guards Ramy Gunady and Ehab Amin who lifted Egypt to their second win in as many games in the tournament.
Gunady scored 12 points, Amin added nine, while Cameroon's Jeremy Nzeulie led all scorers with 19 points.
Cameroon instilled an aggressive defensive game but the Egyptians managed to get away from the pressure.
Turning Point: Gunady and Amin hit a three-pointer apiece with less than a minute to go and Cameroon were unable to bounce back, despite Coach Lazare Adingono's clever decision to defend full-court in that critical moment of the game.
Stats Don't Lie: Egypt's 20 assists against Cameroon's eight reflected the efficiency of the North Africans' attack.
Game Hero: Both Gunady and Ehab stepped up when Egypt needed them most.
The Bottom: As much as Egypt head coach Ahmed Marei avoids talking about his team's title aspirations, his players continue to prove that they are ready to compete and face whoever comes their way.
The second youngest team in the tournament after Mali, the Egyptians were in control for most of the contest and shared the ball a lot better than the Cameroonians. They opened the game with 9-0 run and led by as many as 12 in the first half. Cameroon almost managed a comeback late on, but the night belonged to Gunady, Ehab and the rest of the Egyptian crew.
