DAKAR (Senegal) - Fabien Ateba put on a show in the first half of Cameroon's 70-59 win over Rwanda.
Ateba's four triples in the opening half paved the way for Cameroon's second victory in as many games in Group C of the 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers Window taking place in Dakar, Senegal.
Ateba scored Cameroon's first 6 unanswered points from behind the arc. Eventually, Ateba signed off with five three-pointers and a team-high of 17 points while William Robeyns led Rwanda with 19 points.
Cameroon's 10 three-pointers made in the first half were too damaging for Rwanda who struggled to find answers to the Indomitable Lions' fast-paced game.
TURNING POINT: Robeyn's second three-pointer of the game saw Rwanda take their only lead (18-16) with 2:39 minutes left in the opening quarter.
However, two Jordan Bayehe's two free-throws, followed by a Williams Narace's layup sparked Cameroon to an 8-2 scoring run and Alfred Aboya's men never trailed again. They even led by as many as 25 points (57).
HERO: Ateba's three-point show was one of the biggest reasons Cameroon remained undefeated after two games, but the team's tenacity and aggression to limit Rwanda under 60 points turned out to be an x-factor.
STATS DON'T LIE: Rwanda attacked the time with incredible ferocity, which forced Cameroon to foul, but missing 3-for-8 from the free-throw line didn't do Rwanda any favours. And, to make matters worse for Cheikh Sarr's team, they saw Senegal dominate the rebounding battle with a 57-38.
BOTTOM LINE: Had Rwanda played with the intensity they displayed in the fourth, the outcome of this game would probably have been different
THEY SAID: "We lacked focus at some point in the game. But I liked my players' mental toughness after a big deficit at halftime. They came back strong and stayed together. Losing by eleven points it's better than 23 points (Rwanda's loss to Senegal 81-59) - Rwanda head coach Cheikh Sarr.
FIBA