DR Congo beat Gabon to move on to the 2016 FIBA Africa U18 Championship

LIBREVILLE (2016 FIBA Africa U18 Championship) - The Democratic Republic of Congo have qualified for the 2016 FIBA Africa U18 Championship thanks to two wins against Gabon in the FIBA Africa Zone 4 qualifier held early this week in Libreville, Gabon.

The 2016 FIBA Africa U18 Championship will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 22-31 July.

Paced by Kevin Nzemba, the hosts struggled to cope with a Congolese side that reached the FIBA Africa U18 Championship for the first time since 2004.

Looking to secure qualification to Africa’ flagship youth tournament for the second time in a row, Nzemba, the only Gabonese to score in double figures, led the host nation in Game 1 with 17 points, but the Congolese’s rotation and depth proved costly in the 70-57 triumph.

Patrick Mwamba led the way with a game-high 20 points as three other Congolese - Jospin Basima, Jonathan Momze and Michee Mianga - combined for 36 points in the winning cause.

Although Gabon's Nzemba kept rowing against the tide with his game-high 21 points in Game 2, that wasn’t good enough to avoid a 75-53 defeat.

So far nine nations - DR Congo, Uganda, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Mali, Angola, Tunisia and hosts Rwanda - have qualified for the 2016 Rwanda showdown. Three more national teams are expected to complete the 12-team tournament.

FIBA