LUANDA (Angola) - Cameroon lived up to their status of Indomitable Lions on Wednesday night, upsetting the defending AfroBasket champions and Group B opponents Tunisia 86-65 at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda.
Williams Narace's game-high 20 points set Cameroon on the path to victory, and he supported American-born Jeremiah Hills with 14 points. New lion in the pack, Yves Missi, scored 12 points along with Fabian Ateba.
Tunisia was led in scoring by Jawhar Jawadi with 16 points. His teammates, Mohamed Ochi (12) and Omar Abada (11), also scored in double figures.
It was the tenth AfroBasket meeting between Tunisia and Cameroon, and it played at a frantic pace with each side trading buckets in the first quarter.
TURNING POINT: With four minutes remaining, Samir Gbetkom would be fouled by Ahmed Addami while attempting a baseline three-pointer, and he converted the free throws for the 20-16 lead.
From that point, the Cameroonians attacked with ferocity, with Missi adding two more from the free throw line, and Gbetkom also made a solitary free throw from the charity stripe. Tamenang Choh scored five, which included three during the 11-point run and a 28-16 scoreline.
An Addami jump shot at the buzzer halted the bleeding for Tunisia.
Cameroon's shooting physicality in the paint and shooting forced Tunisia to commit fouls (13) in the first half. Despite foul trouble, they stayed within striking distance of Cameroon, with Jawadi - perfect inside the paint (4/4) and sharp from beyond the arc (2/3) - scoring 14 points and making it a nine-point difference (51-42).
In the second half, Cameroon put the finishing touches to what was a great display on opening night.
A great start from the jump ball made the difference for Cameroon. Key elements to their success were their relentless defensive pressure, dominance in the paint against Tunisia, and sharp shooting from beyond the arc.
HERO: Williams Narace brought his A-game for Cameroon. His shot selection from three-point range was on point (3/4). Narace also made sure he finished well inside the arc (5/10).
STATS DON'T LIE: Cameroon's depth was a deciding factor, with its bench delivering 21 points at the end of the third quarter. They put on the pace in the fastbreak, scoring 11 points. Free throws were also key for the Indomitable Lions as they made 22 of their 30 free throws.
BOTTOM LINE: Cameroon will take pride in their opening-night AfroBasket victory, delivering a near-flawless performance against Tunisia. The win will go a long way in building the confidence of Alfred Aboya's men.
Cameroon's win ended Tunisia's decade-long unbeaten run in the AfroBasket tournament. Tunisia's last loss in the tournament occurred in the third-place game of the 2015 edition.
WHAT THEY SAID: "We feel good. It's our first win, so we have reached one of our goals. This why I came to represent the country because I want to win." Cameroon forward Yves Missi.
FIBA