Bright Stars vow stronger comeback against Senegal on Monday - Photo credit: Afrobasket

Bright Stars forward Majok Deng has promised a stronger comeback in the classification round on Monday, after South Sudan narrowly lost to Angola in a tightly contested game on Saturday.

Angola won the match 66-64 to finish top of Group C and advance to the quarterfinals of the Afrobasket tournament.

The defeat pushed the Bright Stars, ranked number one in Africa, to third place in the group, behind Guinea.

South Sudan will now face Senegal on Monday in a must-win game to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

This is the second time the Bright Stars have lost since the start of their Afrobasket campaign. They were earlier stunned 88-80 by Guinea.

Nuni Omot was the only South Sudanese player to score in double figures, finishing the game with 12 points.

Angola’s Aboubacar Gakou led his team in scoring, going 4-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range.

Following the defeat, Majok Deng praised Angola for their performance but said the Bright Stars would come back stronger.

“Credit to Angola. They played a great game and were the better team tonight. We have to be more physical, too. I don’t think we matched their energy, but give them credit. We are going to bounce back in the next game,” said Deng.

Home crowd disappointed but hopeful

The loss was a disappointment to the large crowd of South Sudanese fans who had gathered at Nimra Talata Basketball Court to watch the game.

Despite the result, the fans continued to cheer and show their support for the national team, which made headlines worldwide during their campaign in the Basketball World Cup and the Paris Olympics.