In what was a topsy-turvy contest, the underdogs from Gabon trailed 41-39 at half-time but they were able to fight their way back into the match to reach the last eight at the expense of a Cape Verde side who were expected to win comfortably.

Therence Gyll Mayimba topped the scoring charts for Gabon, coming off the bench to record a haul of 17 points, while Cape Verde’s Mario Correia was the game’s best performer as he scored 23 points, although it was to be in vein as his side slipped to a surprise loss.

Cape Verde went into the final quarter with a narrow 58-55 advantage but Gabon managed to square proceedings at 67-all before they seized the initiative to see out an impressive win.

There was another shock result in the last 16 as Algeria ensured their return to the quarter-finals after a 10-year absence with a slender 73-71 success over Cameroon in what was a pulsating encounter.

Mohamed Harat was the star of the show for Algeria as he netted 23 points as his side held off a late rally from the Cameroonians to edge a tight encounter.

Trailing 71-64 inside the last minute of the match, Cameroon put together a 6-0 run to move to within one point but they were unable to complete an unlikely turnaround as Algeria squeezed through to the last eight.

The other two last 16 matches were much more comfortable affairs for the winning teams as Senegal, who finished third at the last Afrobasket Championships in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, back in 2013, made light work of debutants Uganda with a 79-48 success.

After the Ugandan side had taken a surprise early lead, Senegal were able to stamp their authority on the game as Antoine Mendy’s 22 points guided them to a commanding win.

The Senegalese are joined in the next round by Nigeria, who thumped Mozambique 83-47 to progress to the quarter-finals for the 11th consecutive Afrobasket tournament.

Nigeria, third at the 2011 event, led for the majority of the contest and never looked in danger of being added to the list of teams to suffer surprise losses as they cruised to a trouble-free victory.

Alade Aminu was the top scorer for the Nigerian outfit with 14, while Olaseni Lawal chipped in with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The quarter-finals take place tomorrow as Nigeria go up against Gabon before Egypt take on Angola.

The evening session sees Senegal face Algeria while Tunisia entertain Mali.

Related stories
August 2015: Hosts Tunisia move into last eight at African basketball Championships
March 2014: Tunisia and Cameroon to host African basketball Championships in 2015