LUANDA (Angola) - Cameroon played with precision and demonstrated their championship potential at the 2025 AfroBasket when they overpowered Egypt 95-68 in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon in Luanda.
Egypt came into the game undefeated (3-0) from the group stages but was no match for Cameroon, whose 11-0 run in the first quarter set them up for victory.
Team captain Fabien Ateba's 26 points, achieved by shooting 5 for 9 from the three-point line, led Cameroon to their first semifinal since 2009.
Jeremiah Hill, back in action after sitting out the playoff win against the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to a leg injury, made his presence felt with 18 points. He shot 4-for-7 from behind the arc to finish with 20 points.
Anas Mahmoud (14 points) and Patrick Gardner (13 points) led Egypt in scoring.
TURNING POINT: Egypt led all but 16 seconds when Anas Mahmoud opened the scoring with a sky hook shot, but Cameroon took over soon after and they never trailed again.
Samir Gbetkom instigated Cameroon's attacks, which led to him dropping seven points in an 11-0 run. The Lions pulled away from Egypt with the quarter's biggest lead (21-9).
The Cameroonian's defensive discipline saw them finish the quarter without committing a foul and leading with a healthy 11-point lead (27-16).
HERO: Ateba led from the front, and the Cameroon team followed. His shooting precision from three made the difference for the Indomitable Lions. Hill also shook off his right leg injury and showed heart with his 8/13 scoring.
Ateba led Cameroon with six points in the third quarter, and his three-point shooting was at its best (3/5) going into halftime. The Cameroon captain led the team in scoring 14 points.
Hill, a casualty of injury in the group stage loss against Nigeria, got going in the third with two three-pointers. One opened the scoring and the other put Cameroon 20 points up (59-39).
Brice Bidias could be counted when he came off the bench, his 12 points contributed to a Cameroon's land slide victory.
STATS DON'T LIE: Cameroon made sure to put away the second chance points (19). Their defence was alert, repelling Egypt's offence, and they profited from turnovers, scoring 18 points.
The Indomitable Lions also scored 13 fastbreak points. Ateba and Hill accounted for most of Cameroon's points from the three-point line (12/35), which assured the Indomitable Lions would make a fourth appearance at the semi-finals.
BOTTOM LINE: Cameroon struggled with injuries to Hill, Bayehe and Williams Narace, who missed the clash against Egypt, but the circumstances did not dictate the Lions' destiny.
Players like Tamenang Choh, Samir Gbetkom and Brice Eyaga lifted their hands when they were called for Cameroon.
Egytian guard Ehab Amin had a frustrating outing, going scoreless in the first half. He eventually scored seven, but things got worse when he fouled out in the fourth quarter.
Even coach Mohamed Elkerdany would be ejected from the game, ending a miserable night for the Egyptians.
This pride of lions shook the Egyptians, and took a step to the last four. Can they take a few more steps to the AfroBasket trophy?
WHAT THEY SAID: "We played tough defence because we knew they were a good team. Defence was key to our game today. The first two quarters were crucial because we played with discipline on both ends of the floor. Reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2009 is huge for us. We're going all the way to the end!" - Cameroon power forward Jordan Bayehe.
"Everything went wrong for us today. Our game plan went out of the window; we left their shooters wide open a lot, and they scored a lot of threes and many easy points. They outscored us in the paint, transition points, and offensive rebounds. In every category, they played a lot better. They executed a lot better than we did. We weren't organised enough," - Egypt centre Anas Mahmoud.
FIBA