NAIROBI, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 31st FIBA AfroBasket witnessed another upset on Wednesday as Cameroon defeated reigning champions Tunisia in Group B, following Guinea's surprise win over top-ranked South Sudan on the opening day.
The second day of action, held in the Angolan cities of Luanda and Namibe, featured first-round matchups among eight teams from Groups A and B.
Aiming for a third consecutive title, Africa's fourth-ranked Tunisia suffered a major setback in the group stage, losing their opener 86-65 to Cameroon.
The Central African underdogs took control from the start, denying Tunisia any momentum. Cameroon sank 11 three-pointers and converted 23 of 32 free throws.
Cameroon's small forward Williams Narace led all scorers with 20 points, including three three-pointers, and grabbed six rebounds.
"The way our players connected that was the big key for me," said Cameroon's head coach Alfred Roland Aboya Baliaba, praising the team's cohesion.
"We stayed connected defensively for the entire game. Also, offensively, we moved the ball and shared the ball. We got 22 assists and 10 turnovers. Those are the big numbers that stick with me," he added.
In an earlier Group B game, 2015 African champions Nigeria pulled away after a close first half, capitalizing on turnovers and dominating in the paint to beat Madagascar 77-59. Nigerian guard Caleb Agada scored a game-high 22 points and added seven rebounds.
In Group A, last edition's runners-up Cote d'Ivoire edged Rwanda 78-70 in their opener, while Cape Verde, fourth-place finishers in the previous tournament, defeated the Democratic Republic of Congo 75-66. The victory put Cape Verde atop Group A, with Cameroon leading Group B. ■
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