ABIDJAN (Cote d’Ivoire) – Five minutes into the game, it was clear who would win the match between Angola and Cameroon, such was the latter's intensity and aggressiveness.
Angola struggled throughout the game to match their opponents' intensity, ultimately seeing their Women's AfroBasket campaign come to an end with Wednesday's 85-64 loss.
This was Cameroon's first-ever win over Angola. The two teams had met three times previously, with Angola winning each time.
The loss marks the end of the road for the two-time African champions, while Cameroon moves on to face the reigning champions, Nigeria, in Thursday's quarterfinals.
After finishing in tenth place two years ago, Angola hoped to regain their former powerhouse status. Instead, the loss reiterated their decline in the Women's AfroBasket tournament.
TURNING POINT: After two lead changes early in the game, Cameroon went on an 8-0 scoring run to take a 16-7 lead. The Indomitable Lionesses extended their lead to 11 points, leaving Angola searching for answers. At that point in the game, Cameroon’s physicality was vital, as opposed to Angola’s.
Angola was never the same again after Cameroon readjusted, despite leading by three (5-2). To make matters worse for the former African champions, their most physical player, Avelina Peso, picked up her third foul at the start of the second quarter while Angola trailed 30-20.
HERO: Jessica Thomas gave Angola all sorts of trouble. She created shots for her teammates and finished with five assists. She was also lethal attacking the basket, finishing with a team-high 19 points.
Three other Cameroonians — Joelly Belleka, who contributed 13 points and a game-high eight assists; Dulcy Fankam, who terrorized Angola's paint with her aggressive plays, finishing with 13 points; and Marguerite Effa — were too much for Angola to handle.
STATS DON’T LIE: Since day one, Angola's bench has proven to be more productive than their starters. This time, Paulo Macedo's reserves contributed 35 of their 64 points.
However, the biggest difference between Angola and Cameroon was their shooting from behind the arc. Cameroon excelled with an 11-for-27 performance, while Angola finished 2-for-12.
BOTTOM LINE: Angola, once a powerhouse on the continent, returns home for the first time in history without a single victory. They must start from scratch because what they demonstrated in Abidjan was nowhere near the dominant team they were in the early 2010s. Their losses to Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, and Cameroon—teams they easily overcame a decade ago—show how far behind they are now.
Angola briefly led early on, but when Cameroon played a more physical and attractive game, Angola could not keep up with the Indomitable Lionesses.
Once again, Sara Caetano swam against the tide, but her efforts were fruitless. She finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.
THEY SAID: "We beat Angola by sticking together and following our game plan. It was a must-win game for us. We gave it our all, and it paid off. We didn't play our best against Mali, but tonight we played at the level we want to. We kept our heads held high, and we're just happy to be moving on. The sky is the limit for this Cameroonian team. We just have to keep going and keep fighting, and good things might happen." - Cameroon power forward, Marguerite Effa.
FIBA