Cameroon stay perfect in Group C as Senegal advance to the next round despite defeat.
Last Updated on
August 13, 2026
Cameroon held off a determined Senegal comeback late on to escape with a 49-46 win in front of fans at the Palais des Sports de Treichville, in a game that had far more to do with defense and nerve than with offensive fireworks.
Cameroon set the tone early. A 16-point second quarter, built on the back of an 8-0 run, opened up an 11-point cushion and looked, for a while, like it might turn into a comfortable night. Senegal had other ideas. Coming out of the break, they clamped down defensively and started finding easier looks, ripping off a third-quarter surge that included a 9-0 run of their own and cut Cameroon's lead down to size. For a stretch, it felt like Senegal's game to steal.
Cameroon never let it slip away entirely, though. The two sides traded evenly in the fourth quarter, each scoring 13, and Cameroon's cushion from the first half turned out to be just enough to survive. By the final horn, Cameroon had spent nearly the entire 40 minutes in front, 38 minutes and 58 seconds of it, according to the game's lead tracker — with only a brief 34-second window where Senegal actually held the advantage.
The lead changed hands just once all game, and the two teams were level on four occasions, mostly in the early going.
Neither offense ever really got comfortable. Both sides struggled to find consistency inside the arc, shooting below 33 percent on two-pointers, and three-point shooting was scarce on both ends of the floor. Free throws didn't offer much relief either as Cameroon made just half of its attempts from the line while Senegal were a little better at 55.6 percent.
Individually, Senegal's Codé Mbengue was the best player on the floor, finishing with an efficiency rating of 21 and looking like the one shot-creator either team could reliably lean on but it was Mouhamed Badiane who finished leading the scorers chart for the Senegalese with 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Cameroon didn't have an answer for him one-on-one, but they didn't need a shutdown performance as well and they did just enough production elsewhere. Nolan Ngangmeni led the winning side with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists doing the steadier, less flashy work that ultimately showed their brilliance.
In the end, this was a game Senegal will feel got away from them in the first half and one Cameroon will be relieved to have hung onto. Group C continues to be a battle of inches and on this night, Cameroon had just enough of them as they finished top of the standings in 1st and 2nd positions.
[Image Credit - FIBA Media]
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