Afrobasket 2015: Algeria beat Cameroon to the Quarter-Finals

A decade on, and Algeria are back in the Quarter-Finals of AfroBasket after defeating Cameroon 73-71 in Wednesday's last Round of 16 game.

In one of the most balanced games of the tournament so far, the North Africans prevailed against a Cameroon side that kept coming at them.

Mohamed Harat was at his very best, sparking Algeria with a game-high 23 points.

Cameroon's defense might have been a bit too aggressive as they were called for 32 fouls.

And playing without Gaston Essengue, Kenny Kadji and Frank Tchoubaye, who all fouled out, proved costly for the Cameroonians.

Nevertheless, they almost completed an impressive comeback.

Trailed 71-64 with 50 seconds remaining, Lazare Adingono's team used a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to just one point with 12 seconds left.

However, it was too late as the Algerians held on to punch their ticket to the Last Eight.

Turning Point: The teams entered the final quarter with the score tied at 55-55, but Harat, Mehdi Cheriet and Hocine Gaham who combined for 49 points, made sure to keep Algeria alive in the competition.

Stats Don't Lie: Cameroon's insistence on shooting three-pointers - they shot 11 of 47 from beyond the arc - may have costed them a place in the Quarter-Finals. For some unclear reason, they attempted more three-pointers than two-point field goals (13 of 33), resulting in 30 percent shooting overall.

Game Hero: Algeria almost spoiled the victory as a result of their 25 turnovers, but Gaham was calm enough to close out the contest from the free-throw line in the final four seconds.

The Bottom Line: Eleven lead changes in 40 minutes, with neither team leading by more than seven points reflects just how balanced the game was. Algeria prevailed mainly because of their tenacity to stay in the competition and capitalised on the support of a section of tireless fans. Cameroon miss out a spot in the Quarter-Finals for the first time in the last four editions of the tournament.