Cameroon turn their focus to the Last Eight, where they face an Egypt side that won their three group matches to qualify for the quarters directly.
Last Updated on
August 22, 2025
New Orleans Pelicans power forward Yves Thierry Ouwe Missi delivered his best performance yet at the ongoing AfroBasket, scoring 20 points to lead Cameroon to a 77-68 victory over DR Congo on Tuesday night at the Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda.
The win secures Cameroon a spot in the quarter-finals, where they will face Egypt.
Named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month in December 2024, Missi has been instrumental for Cameroon, recording double-doubles in two of his three tournament appearances. Against DR Congo, he added 12 rebounds to his 20 points, registering the only double-double of the match. He went 6-for-11 from inside the arc and hit one shot from three-point range to lead all scorers.
He outpaced France-based power forward Williams Narace, who contributed 18 points, while Samir Gbetkom added 16 to round out Cameroon’s top scorers.
Cameroon advanced to the playoffs after finishing second in Group B. Meanwhile, DR Congo, which had looked strong during qualifiers with a 5-1 record, struggled in the group stage and limped into the playoffs with a 1-2 record from Group A.
"We knew it would be a difficult match but we brought the heart for a win. We knew we needed to score and deny them for this. They punched heavy in the second quarter but we managed a comeback in the third quarter with a different mentality. Basketball is never over until the last whistle and when they went on a run we expected that," Fabien Ateba said after the victory.
How it happened
DR Congo opened the scoring through a Garmine Kande Kieli's hook shot, Gbetkom replying for Cameroon immediately as the back and forth started. Valentin Junior Lele leveled the score at 11 with Brice Eyaga Bidias going back-to-back from range to hand the former silver medalists their first lead at 14-13, Paul Eboua closing out the quarter from the free-throw line for a 19-13 opening period.
Congo DR were not letting up and they came right back, Claude Christian Lutete IV and Christian Eyenga shooting from behind the arc in the opening two minutes of the second to trail 21-19. Eyenga reclaimed the lead at 23-22.
21-year-old Missi dropped nine of his 20 points in the second, all in crucial moments to help Cameroon hold on for a 37-36 lead at halftime.
An 8-0 run for Cameroon in the third quarter put a stop to the Congelese side's momentum as they quickly found themselves trailing 45-36, forcing coach Michel Perrin into a timeout as they needed to keep Cameroon close to keep their quarterfinal chances alive.
Maxi Munanga Shamba's three momentarily disrupted Cameroon's run but Missi got another 13-0 team run going for 58-39, Cameroon held on for a 23-13 quarter to take a 70-49 lead to the final quarter.
Mervedi Kasekelayi Miteo scored seven, Franck Nyembo adding four as the Congolese side fought to cut their deficit to 69-63 but Cameroon held on for the victory, despite losing out on the quarter 19-17.
Cameroon out rebounded Congo DR 49-33, as well as dominating the paint 40-28.
The Congolese charge was led by 16-year-old Miverdi Miteo and Jonathan Jordan, the only Congolese to score in double figures, finishing with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, as Cameroon turn their focus to the Last Eight, they face an Egypt side that won their three group matches to qualify for the quarters directly.
[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]
