Senegal's dominance in the paint is unparalleled

RABAT (Morocco) - Senegal finished the 2025 AfroBasket qualifiers unbeaten in six games, and much of their success was down to their exceptional ability to dominate the boards.

On Sunday 23 February, Senegal defeated Cameroon 83-76 in overtime to finish top of Group C.

And although Senegal overcame a spirited Cameroon side who fought back from 17 points down, it was their dominance of the paint that separated the two sides.

Cameroon weren't the first victims of Senegal's rebounding battle, and they probably won't be the last. Cameroon out-rebounded Senegal 62-39 to remind everyone of their new identity.

"They're big, they're aggressive on the boards and that makes them hard to play against," admitted Cameroon forward William Narace, who led his team with 22 points.

"They are so tall. They are big and it is always difficult to play against a team like that. The difference between Cameroon and Senegal on the boards was the biggest difference in this game.

Cameroon head coach Alfred also conceded that Senegal had won the battle around the basket. "The main objective that brought us here to Morocco was to win the battle of the boards and we lost that battle. That is where the game was played.

A close look at Senegal's record in the 2025 AfroBasket qualifiers reveals a huge gulf between them and their opponents.

Over the course of their six games in Dakar and Rabat, Senegal outrebounded their opponents by an average of 21.5 boards per game.

Senegal set a tournament record for most rebounds in a game in their 101-58 win over Gabon, when they grabbed a whopping 66.

Here's a look at how Senegal punished their opponents on the boards:

FIBA