BAMAKO (FIBA U18 African Championship 2018) - On the day we learned that both Senegal and hosts Mali earned the right to represent Africa at next year's FIBA Basketball U19 World Cup, a number of performances couldn't go unnoticed.

Here's a recap of the top performances from Day 8 of the FIBA U18 African Championship in Bamako, Mali.

Mali

Defending champions Angola stepped on the floor knowing they had a huge - almost impossible - task of denying hosts Mali.

And although the Angolans trailed only 44-31, Mali kept their best for last winning 84-59.

With the win, Mali not only have a chance to win the championship in front of their home fans on Sunday, but they also advanced to the FIBA Basketball U19 World Cup 2019.

Biram Faye (Senegal)

Senegal's campaign in Bamako can't be described without Faye's impact.

Egypt led 72-69 with 29 seconds remaining. They celebrated as if they had knocked down Senegal, but Faye had other plans in mind.

The 18-year-old forward, who spent the entire 45 minutes on the court, responded with the three-pointer that took the game to an overtime. In the remaining five minutes, Senegal outscored Egypt 19-10 to ensure their place in next year’s FIBA Basketball U19 World Cup.

Faye finished with game-highs 24 points and 19 rebounds to register his fifth straight double-double in the tournament.

 Pierre Kasereka (DR Congo)

Following a disappointing Quarter-Finals defeat to Angola, the Congolese stepped on the floor determined to bounce back. And Kasereka stepped up when his country needed him most, finishing with a game-best 27 points to help DR Congo seal a 69-57 win and their place in Sunday's fifth-place game against Rwanda.

It was the fifth time the 17-year-old guard scored at least 21 points in six appearances in Bamako.

Rwanda

Although Libya's sensational Adrees Zeew became the fourth player to score a tournament-high 31 points, Rwanda proved too much for the North Africans.

Four Rwanda players - led by Thierry Nkundwa who finished with a team-best 19 points - contributed 12 points or more each as they moved to the fifth-place game - for the second time in a row - thanks to a 92-68 triumph over Libya. 

Guinea

After losing four straight games, Guinea closed their FIBA U18 African Championship 2018 beating Uganda 65-60 and return home with a ninth-place on the pocket. 

FIBA