ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Senegal and Cameroon came out on top on the opening day of Group C, making statements about their intentions in the 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket taking place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Here's what happened at Palais des Sports de Treichville.
Indomitable Lions led from start to finish
Cameroon and Tunisia put on a defensive showcase on game Day-2.
In the end, Cameroon prevailed 53-41.
The first five minutes of the matchup at Palais des Sports de Treichville produced just six points, a testament to how tough scoring would be in the game.
However, Cameroon found some space to hit a couple of 3-pointers and led 15-2 at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, Cameroon continued to deny access to their paint, but Tunisia earned multiple trips to the line that they failed to convert as they shot 3-of-10 through the first half.
Crafty point guard Adem Rafrafi (12 points) and Idriss Toumi, who came off the bench, helped Tunisia not fall far behind with important baskets in the second quarter.
The defensive showcase peaked in the third quarter with neither side giving away any easy points and the teams combined for 14 points.
“We had difficulties in our offensive game; there are still many things to do. It’s the first game,” Cameroon head coach Kevin Ngwese admitted. “What you saw in the first half and the third quarter, it’s not in our game. It’s at the end of the fourth quarter that we tried to move the ball. I think there are many things to do, but it’s great that the team finished the game with a victory. I know that great things are coming ahead.”
Tunisia finally broke the double-digit deficit barrier in the fourth quarter with just over 7 minutes to play, but it barely lasted as they gave up a quick 7-0 run that all but won the game for Cameroon.
“We have got to be more aggressive and sort out a few little things. We played a little better for two quarters, but we need to be consistent,” Tunisia’s Idriss Toumi, who finished with a team-high 13 points, said reflecting on the game.
James Minlend (14 points), Ronnny Ewanke (11 points & 11 rebounds), Daryl Baya (11 points & 11 rebounds) were Cameroon’s top performers.
Senegal too athletic for Rwanda
While the Cameroon-Tunisia matchup was a showcase of defense, it was athleticism on the show in the game between Rwanda and Tunisia.
The Senegalese put their athleticism combined with length to full use in the dominant 78-38 win over Rwanda.
Right from the jumpball, it was clear the game was going to be about high intensity as Senegal gave Rwanda no room to control the tempo early and play at their pace.
“It’s our way of playing; we try to get easy points with fast breaks, and we always want to play full court and try to maintain. So, we always want to have a good beginning pack,” Senegal head coach Mouhamed Diadie Sene said.
Team captain Code Mbengue (10 points & 7 rebounds) and Bacary Doucoure (15 points & rebounds) set the tone early with transition dunks while guards Pape Diallo (14 points), Mouhamed Badiane and Fredric Mane ran the floor
By halftime, Senegal had a 31-point lead, and even when the game slowed down a bit in the third, Rwanda had no way back as Senegal maintained the defensive pressure.
Rwanda got moments when they started to slow down the game, and head coach Aristide Mugabe said it’s an important part of their structure to control games.
“They got the rhythm before us; they pushed the ball, and we didn’t manage to stop the transition earlier in the game, so they got their runs, and that’s how they created the gap. When you play against a good team, it’s hard to recover, but in the second half we played a little bit better, but it was too late,” he said.
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