LUANDA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers) - Carlos Morais sunk a game high 22 points and picked four rebounds to inspire Angola to a 77-73 win over Cameroon to stay second in Group E on Friday at the Arena Multisuos de Kilamba in the Angolan capital.

Morais, who returned to the Angolan fold after missing out on the June-July Window, will be remembered for a big three-pointer he dropped in the last quarter with 46 seconds to play that gave his side a deserved victory.

 
"I had a decent game even though i think it can be better but the most important thing is that we won, Morais told FIBA.basketball.

Yannick Moreira, who contributed 13 points and nine rebounds, was ejected in the third quarter after he used Cameroonian head coach Lazare Adingono’s towel to clean his face.

The officials sent him for an early shower for this controversial act.

Adingono told FIBA.basketball after the game that, "I know that it happens in basketball, and he did not do it in a bad spirit."

Angola head coach Will Voigt pointed out that Moreira’s shock exit happened at a time when they were on a good run and indeed the great leadership of Morais kept them in the game that they eventually won to keep their hopes of qualifying alive.

Point guard Gerson Domingos added 10 points and picked four rebounds to give his side the push they needed on offense as well as on defense to counter Robert Songolo Ngijol’s energy on the drive.

Benoit Mbala and Kenneth Kadji contributed 17 and 14 points in that order but what started out as a spirited run in the first three quarters that they led 24-17, 39-36 and 54-50 was drained by the thousands of fans whose support gave Angola super-power kind of energy.

Angola can now continue to dream of a place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China after snatching victory from the hands of defeat today.

Nigeria and Tunisia are the only two African sides that have already booked their tickets to the world’s biggest basketball showpiece.

FIBA