Libya 2009 - Eight Finals: Hosts being sent home by Mali

[by Kris SANTIAGO] - Hi guys. I'm back with another update after the eight final-round is finally over.

Biggest news out of Libya is that the hosts could not qualify for the next stage as Alpha Bangura & Co struggled mightily in the third quarter against Mali when Waly Coulibaly opened up with his nine points for a 36-8 run which decided the game. Libya is going to the classification stage to place between nine and twelve while Mali takes on Tunisia in the quarters.

Rwanda, which has been a big surprise in the tournament, mainly due to their naturalized players like Thomson, Miller, Kayijuka, Bradley, Mugabo, Buzangu and Gasana, did it again and edged Cameroon 82-69 but could not advance further despite the win due to loosing the tie-breaker to other teams.

The Rwandese also complained about their lodging which might affected their performance in Libya.

Morocco dropped out as well after loosing 73-81 to the Central African Republic which won the last two games and might be on the come up.Romain Sato was a beast: He clicked in for 25 points and pulled down 17 boards although being only 1,94m tall.

Nigeria tried hard to overpower the undefeated champs from Angola and Gabe Muoneke drained in 33 points after playing rather cold in this tourney, but five players from Angola scored in double-digits to stay undefeated on the road to another championship for the dominating force on the continent. Eduardo Mingas converted all of his four three-pointers (He is 7 of 10 in Libya so far) to finish with 23 points.
Angola takes on the Central Africans while Nigeria is going against neighbors Cameroon in the quarter-finals.

And finally, Senegal bounced back with a win to grab the first place after being on the verge to be eliminated from the championships.
Coach N'Diaye realized that he can't win without Babacar Cisse who entered the game in the third quarter to lead his Lions with his eight assists to the quarter-finals. Cisse, who is playing with an injury, has been the cornerstone in the backcourt of Senegal so far and could not be replaced by weak Kabir Pene or young Ibrahima Mbengue.
Senegal battles the Ivory Coast (Its Lions vs. Elephants) while Tunisia challenges Mali for a spot in the semi-finals.

That's all for today, click back to FIBA.com for more coverage!