On Sunday, Cameroon’s senior men’s national team pulled a surprise at the FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament finals, beating Senegal 80-74 in a keenly contested match.
Cameroon proved their quality by picking the sole ticket for the second round of the qualification series.
They worked their socks off, forcing their opponents to 25-25 points at the close of the first quarter, not allowing them to play the game they were used to.
Their defensive tactics would not go unnoticed as Senegal found it very hard to break them, while their quick ball rotation also played a big part in the game.
Cameroon would take the second quarter 47-33 points, which brightened their chances and gave them the confidence to fight harder for the ball game.
They relied heavily on their ability to dish three-point shots at will, which gave a lot of discomfort to Senegal, who became physical, frustrated and committed unnecessary fouls.
Cameroon continued their onslaught in the third quarter, recording 62-54 and ensuring Senegal never got their rhythm, pushing the game beyond their reach.
In the final quarter, Senegal were perplexed and made several unforced errors; even though they tried to fight back, it was too late to affect the match’s outcome.
The head coach of the Cameroon team, Alfred Rolland, expressed happiness at the game’s outcome, praising his players for doing a great job.
“We worked very hard to achieve this result; we will prepare even better for the final round of the Pre-Qualifying series,” Roland said.
His opposite number, Mamadu Guaye, said the team did an excellent job but was unlucky to fall to Cameroon.
“It’s been a very good tournament; we are not happy for not picking the sole ticket having reached the finals.
“This is due to the absence of our legion of foreign-based professionals. However, we have to build on what we have and take the necessary lessons we have learnt,” Guaye said.
The competition at the Eko Conventional Centre had Nigeria, Guinea, Mali and Tunisia competing for the only available ticket.
(NAN)
