Gakdeng leads South Sudan to Afrobasket semifinals in country’s historic debut

By R.L. Bynum

In its first appearance at the Women’s Afrobasket tournament, South Sudan has advanced to the semifinals — thanks in large part to two standout performances from former North Carolina center Maria Gakdeng.

After dropping both pool-play games, South Sudan stunned Egypt 75–65 in the round of 16 on Wednesday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Gakdeng was dominant, recording 19 points, 24 rebounds, and was +12. Her rebounding total shattered her college career-high of 16, set while playing for Boston College on Feb. 3, 2022, in a 76–57 home win over Virginia.

“We knew it was now or never,” Gakdeng said after the Wednesday win. “We had to bring a different mindset or go home. We lost our first two games by a few points, but we always knew we were capable of winning. No one expected this win, which is why it means so much to us. Another win is what comes next for South Sudan.”

South Sudan outrebounded Egypt 66–30, dominating the glass as part of its second-half comeback.

“In the second half, we just had to come together,” Gakdeng said. “We were down by almost 20 points. We stepped up our defense, controlled [Raneen Elgedawy], who had 20 points in the first half, grabbed more rebounds, and pulled it through.”

On Thursday, South Sudan edged Uganda 69–68 in the quarterfinals. Gakdeng finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and a team-high +20. Uganda’s Melissa Akullu missed two free throw attempts with 10 seconds remaining, and Gakdeng secured the rebound on the second miss to help seal the win.

In pool play, South Sudan fell 70–63 to Cameroon and 55–53 to Mali, with Gakdeng scoring eight points in both games.

In a Saturday semifinal, South Sudan will face Mali, which beat Mozambique 86–68 in the second Thursday quarterfinal. The team is guaranteed one more game on Sunday, either in the championship or the third-place contest.