YAOUNDE (Cameroon) - There was fireworks at the Yaounde sports complex as Cheickh Bamba Diallo of Senegal and Deon Thompson of Cote d'Ivoire powered their nations to FIBA AfroBasket qualifications.

Carlos Morais once again enthralled fans as he guided Angola to a convincing  win against Mozambique and AfroBasket qualification.

Despite being on the losing end, Guinea's Cedric Mansare was his side's silver lining.

Here are the top performers from Friday's games in Yaounde.

Cheickh Bamba Diallo (Senegal)

Senegal sealed their spot for a record 29 AfroBasket appearance with a 69-51 thumping of Kenya in their first game of the last window of qualifiers for the FIBA AfroBasket 2021.

Their 4-0 clean slate was made easy by the brilliancy of Cheickh Bamba Diallo.

The 24-year-old was in fine fettle, hitting a game-high 19 points to power his side to a win. The 1.90m (6ft 3in) shooting guard was impressive beyond the arc, burying 5 of his 9 attempts to keep grant Senegal a comfortable lead.

He also did put in work defensively, grabbing two defensive rebounds with a steal to prevent the Morans of Kenya from stunning the Senegalese.

Carlos Morais (Angola)

Morais did what he knows to do best, leave fans spellbound with his electrifying plays. 

The four-time AfroBasket victor hammered home a game best 21 points and 3 rebounds as Angola trounced Mozambique 91-68 to seal a spot in this year's FIBA AfroBasket.

The 34-year old orchestrated play for his side demonstrating his shooting prowess as he converted6 of his 9 attempts beyond the arc.

"We left Angola with two objectives. First qualify for the AfroBasket and then win all three games," Morais said to FIBA.basketball.

"The first goal has been attained, now we want to take care of business against Senegal and Kenya."

Cedric Mansare  (Guinea)

Guinea was edged 87-73 by Cote d'Ivoire but their captain Cedric Mansare showed why they shouldn't be written off in the Qualifiers.

He slammed home 15 points, 9 of those coming in during the second half of the game as Guinea kept a tight leash on Cote d'Ivoire during the third quarter. He was active on both ends of the court, shielding the rim with three defensive rebounds.

"WE HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY FOCUSED THROUGHOUT 40 MINUTES IF WE WANT TO WIN GAMES."- Cedric Mansare

The 35-year old stressed the importance of staying focused throughout the game as they prepare for clashes against Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon.

"Defensively we struggled against Cote d'Ivoire. Even with the issues we had, we played well during the first three quarters.

"Unfortunately a game is four quarters and we have to learn how to stay focused throughout the 40 minutes if we want to win games," Mansare said during the post-match press conference.

Deon Thompson (Cote d'Ivoire)

Deon Thompson picked things up from where he had left them during the last window, showing up guns blazing as Cote d'Ivoire hit Guinea 87-73. The power forward contributed 14 points and 5 rebounds to ensure that Cote d'Ivoire remains unbeaten in the qualifiers.

The 32-year old lasted 30 minutes on the court and rightfully so as his two assists heightened his side lead while he denied the opponent an avenue to create via two steals.

Throughout the qualifiers, Thompson has been consistent for Cote d'Ivoire averaging 14.5 points and 7 rebounds which have been key in firing the Ivorians to a 25th AfroBasket qualification.

FIBA