LUANDA (Angola) - Senegal finished third in the 2025 AfroBasket tournament after defeating Cameroon 98-72 on Sunday in Luanda.
Jean-Jacques Boissy set a new AfroBasket record with his impressive 40-point performance. The previous record was 38 points, set by Cape Verde's Jeff Xavier in a 2009 clash against the Central African Republic.
Boissy's teammates Brancou Badio and Ibou Badji scored 18 and 12 points, respectively.
Jordan Bayehe and Jeremiah Hill scored 18 and 15 points, respectively, for Cameroon.
Cameroon was coming off a heartbreaking 74-73 loss to Angola in the semifinals. Senegal was coming off an 88-80 loss to Mali in their Last Four clash. The two teams met in the third-place game, where only pride was at stake.
The two teams had also met in the tournament qualifiers, with Senegal winning both games.
Senegal stepped onto the court with the right energy in this game and found themselves up 49-26 at halftime.
Cameroon looked like they were still reeling from their loss to Angola. They made only 30% of their shots and were 0/8 from outside the arc.
Boissy, the 2025 BAL MVP, kept the scoreboard ticking for Senegal, ending the first half with 16 points after making 7 of 11 field goal attempts.
TURNING POINT: DeSagana Diop’s men came with the energy and drive and had a 25 lead (45-20) with the second quarter nearing completion. The telling statistic was Senegal’s 52% made field goal attempts, while Cameroon had dropped from 35% to 30% going into halftime.
The electric Boissy kept the scoreboard ticking for Senegal, ending the first half with 16 points on making 7/11 of his field goal attempts
Senegal maintained their iron grip on the game, going 26 points up (56-30) after a 6-0 run.
HERO: Jean-Jacques Boissy, who was scoring like it was practice, had dropped 24 points late in the third quarter and was 4/9 from three-point range. Badio and Badji both had double figures in the third, helping the Lions of Teranga amass a 30-point (78-48) lead going into the fourth quarter.
STATS DON’T LIE: Senegal were statistically dominant throughout the game, outrebounding Cameroon (48-37). Apart from dominating the boards, the Lions of Teranga also outscored Cameroon in the paint (38-30), second chance points (23-12), turnovers (20-1), and fastbreak points (19-1).
BOTTOM LINE: Senegal arrived with the most energy, and they did not let the disappointment of losing to Mali in the semi-final take away their appetite to win.
Cameroon finished the first half with just one foul, perhaps reflecting the team's exhaustion from returning to the floor less than 24 hours after losing to Angola.
After placing last in the 2021 AfroBasket tournament, their fourth-place finish after a grueling one-point semifinal loss to the host team tells the story of a competitive team with potential for future success.
Meanwhile, Senegal reminded everyone of their potential to contend for medals.
WHAT THEY SAID: "It's hard to finish fourth, especially after last night's tough loss. It's hard to prepare mentally after losing that game against Angola. You are physically on the court, but mentally, you are not there because of the tough semifinal loss. If the team needs me, I will definitely be back for the World Cup qualifiers." - Cameroon shooting guard Fabien Ateba.
"It's part of the game of basketball. Either you win or you lose. I don't call it finishing fourth a loss; I would rather say that we learned a lot. This is a big experience for us. We have a group of young guys who have never played in an environment like this. We are taking many positives. We are continuing to learn from an experience like this championship. The future is promising for Senegal." Senegal guard Brancou Badio.
"I couldn't sleep well last night because of that loss against Mali. We have to learn to be a professional, that's what I told guys. We had to come out ready to win and we did it. for the whole country of Senegall. It's not just a bout the players, it's' about the country. We came ready to play and it feels good to finish this championship with a win." - Senegal guard Brancou Badio.
FIBA