Cape Verde 90, Central African Republic 82

Cape Verde got their first win in 2013's AfroBasket tournament, knocking down Central African Republic. The Cape Verdeans started out strong, winning the first quarter 23-9. The Central Africans managed to narrow the gap to 7, 38-45, going into the halftime break. Despite Michael Mokongo's streaky shooting in the third quarter, Cape Verde was still up by 9 at the end of 30 minutes of action. Small forward Max Kouguere was able to pull Central African Republic to within 6 with half of the fourth quarter, but Cape Verde held on for the win. Cape Verde's dynamic duo of Dimitry Akanda-Coronel and Rodrigo Mascarenhas led the way with 17 points each, while forward Aldevino Lima added 15. Mokongo scored 14 points in a losing effort, while Kouguere came up with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Cape Verde is now in the middle of Group C with a 1-1 record, while the Central African Republic fell to the bottom of the standings with 0-2.

Senegal 46, Ivory Coast 74

In Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire made the most out of the friendly home environment and took control of Group A, winning over Senegal. Shaking off a wobbly start, Cote d'Ivoire was able to grab the lead, 18-14, at the end of the first quarter. Senegal, behind Ibgahima Mbengue's hot shooting, was able to cut the lead down to one at the half. However, Cote d'Ivoire put together a 45-20 second half to cruise to the win. The game was notable for featuring players with NCAA Division I credentials. Ivory Coast's Charles Abouo and Jonathan Kale, who played for BYU and Providence, respectively, each had 15 and 10 points for the winners. Senegal was led by Ibrahima Mbengue with 16, while guard Louis Adams scored 8 points. Cote d'Ivoire firmed up its hold on the top spot in Group A with a 2-0 record, while Senegal fell to 1-1.

Algeria 67, Egypt 63

In a Group A battle between two teams bordering the Sahara, Algeria shook off the challenge of its competitors along the Nile to get its first preliminary-round win. Egypt, behind its sticky defense, held off Algeria to lead by seven at the end of the first quarter. Algeria, in turn, scorched its opponents with a 15-7 run in the ensuing quarter to grab a one-point halftime lead. In another run, Egypt was able to run up the score to 54-44 at the end of the third quarter. However, Algeria was not to be denied, as Mehdi Cheriet came up big in a 23-9 binge that sealed the win. Cheriet ended with 23 points, while Mohamed Harath scored another 14. Egypt was led by Assem Marei with 14 markers, while Wael Badir came up with 13. The Egyptians fell to the bottom of Group A with a 0-2 card, while Algeria is tied with Senegal at 1-1.

Angola 91, Mozambique 73

In a old continental rivalry that spans decades, Angola utilised a blistering second-half assault to blank fellow Lusophony competitor Mozambique. Angola, behind the heady play of its guards, grabbed the first quarter, 17-14. Mozambique struck back with a 24-20 second quarter that saw them leading by one point at halftime. However, Angola's Carlos Morais quickly scored nine straight points in a blistering 23-13 third quarter that firmly established the lead, while there was no letup in the final quarter, where Angola scored another 31 points to Mozambique's 22, sealing the win and giving Angola a 2-0 record and the top spot in Group C. Angola was led by Morais with 16, and four other players scored in double figures for the winners. Mozambique, which fell to 1-1, was led by David Canivete with 11 points.

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