RIGA (Latvia) - It ended up as a nail-biting affair, but Cameroon made history in Riga by getting to the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024.
Leading by 24 points at one stage against the Brazilian powerhouse, they managed to survive the green-and-gold powerhouse's comeback, winning 77-74 to join their opponents in the next phase of the competition.
Turning Point
Unlike what happened against Montenegro, Brazil were in control in the first stretch of the game against Cameroon.
Vitor Benite gave them a lookingly comfortable 27-22 lead leaning toward the end of the first quarter. But that's when the Indomitable Lions' spirit came out.
The intensity rose on both ends, and Cameroon entered a formidable 23-0 run to escape between the first and second quarters. Brazil naturally reduced the gap in the closing stages, but it was not enough to deny the African side a ticket to the Semi-Finals.
TCL Player of the Game
Jeremiah Hill was the reason why Cameroon booked a ticket to Riga in the first place. The reason was his double-double of 14 points and 14 assists against Senegal in the Final of the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament 2023 in Nigeria.
One year later, he was once again the decisive factor in Alfred Aboya's path towards an unprecedently historic Olympic qualification.
After dropping a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists in the defeat to Montenegro, he went off in the first half against Brazil's Marcelinho Huertas and Co.
Despite slowing down in the second half, he still finished with 22 points, 6 reboundsand 6 assists.
His three-pointers (6 of 13), including a buzzer-beater to close the first quarter and then a clutch dagger in the final minutes of the fourth, clearly made the difference.
Stats don't lie
It's no secret that Cameroon likes to run in transition, exploiting their physical and athletic characteristics. As soon as Brazil gave them the opportunity to do so, they missed no chances.
Alfred Aboya's ultimately terminated the encounter with 9 steals, forcing Brazil into 14 turnovers, and scoring double-digit points in fast breaks.
Bottom line
Cameroon scored 66 points in their first game in Latvia, losing to Montenegro. In today's first half, they put up only 10 points less, displaying an offensive performance for the ages.
Entering the second half down by 17 (56-39), that was enough to potentially eliminate Brazil from contention. With an and-one play midway through the third quarter, Lucas Dias - who ended with 14 points - blew those serious problems away.
Leo Meindl also had himself a night, leading Aleksandar Petrovic's team in scoring with 19 points. Meanwhile for Cameroon, Brice Eyaga Bidias finished with a pivotal 15 points.
With this result, Cameroon qualified as the second best team in Group B and will face the Latvian hosts in the Semi-Finals.
Brazil will square up against the surprise of the competition, facing Group A runners-up Philippines.
They said
"Like I said yesterday, I love my team character. Those kids are fighters, so they came ready to play. The first half showed how hungry we were, but in the second half it kinda got away from us a little bit." Cameroon head coach, Alfred Aboya
"We showed ourselves, we played with pace. When we do that, we're really hard to beat. They were able to cut our speed, but we trusted each other." Cameroon standout, Jeremiah Hill
"It's a roller coaster of emotions. We didn't come into the game. In the first twenty minutes, we conceded 56 points. Everybody who understands basketball knows very well what happened in those twenty minutes. Fortunately, Cristiano Felicio started to control the paint." Brazil head coach, Aleksandar Petrovic
"I think coach said everything in the locker room. We have the talent to play on the offensive side, but we must think about defense. They showed a lot of plays with three-point shots and offensive shots: we've got to learn." Brazil winger Leo Meindl
FIBA