Mayen, Dech send Bright Stars to AfroBasket

South Sudan have won two out of their three AfroBasket qualifiers in Morocco over the weekend to book their place in the August tournament in Angola.

Four years ago, South Sudan had to wait until the last minute to book their place in the AfroBasket, but on Friday night they beat the qualifying window hosts with two games to spare.

Adelaide 36ers duo Sunday Dech and Lat Mayen played their role for the Bright Stars in a big 69-37 win over Morocco on Friday night.

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After an even first half, the contest transformed into a one-sided affair as the Bright Stars closed the game out with a remarkable final 20 minutes, Dech dished five assists for the Bright Stars in the 32-point win.

Jo Lual Acuil Jr led the way for South Sudan with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds, while three-point specialist Peter Jok added 11 points off the bench.

Morocco captain Abdelhakim Zouita, the only player to reach double figures, finished with 11 points in a game that the Maghreb side shot themselves in the foot in the third period.

With qualification already booked, Mayen scored four points and Dech dished two assists in the 75-70 loss to Mali on Saturday, before the Bright Stars finished the three-game tournament with an 89-58 win over Congo on Sunday.