Guinea vs Cameroon

Guinea seized control from the opening tip, racing to a 28-13 lead after the first quarter — a 15-point advantage built on hot three-point shooting and suffocating defence. Shannon Evans knocked down early threes, and Sekou Doumbouya scored efficiently inside.

Cameroon steadied in the second period, outscoring Guinea 25-19 to trim the deficit to single digits before halftime. But Guinea rebuilt control in the third quarter (20-14) and pulled away decisively in the fourth (23-15), with the lead swelling past 20 points.

Quarter scores: 28-13, 19-25, 20-14, 23-15.

The game swung decisively in Guinea's first-quarter blitz — a 28-13 period that gave them a lead they would never relinquish. Guinea led for 39 minutes and 22 seconds of game time; Cameroon led for just 22 seconds. Guinea's 12-0 scoring run was the largest of the game, and their biggest lead stretched to 26 points.

Shannon Evans (Guinea) — 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists The guard was Guinea's top scorer, shooting 5-of-10 from three-point range and playing 30 efficient minutes without committing a turnover. He scored or assisted on 12 of Guinea's made field goals.

Sekou Doumbouya (Guinea) — Game-high 21 efficiency rating The former NBA forward (Detroit Pistons, 2019-22) was named by FIBA as the game's most efficient player. His inside scoring and defensive presence anchored Guinea's frontline.

Souley Boum (Guinea) — 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists Guinea's point guard controlled the tempo with a game-high 6 assists while hitting 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. He turned the ball over just twice in 34 minutes.

Mamadi Diakite (Guinea) — 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks The forward filled the stat sheet, knocking down 3-of-7 from deep and providing rim protection on the other end.

Ousmane Drame (Guinea) — 13 points, 5 rebounds Drame shot 5-of-7 from the field (3-of-5 from three) in just under 20 minutes off the bench, giving Guinea a crucial offensive spark.

Yves Missi (Cameroon) — 11 points, 12 rebounds Cameroon's interior force posted a double-double with 5 offensive rebounds, but got limited support from the perimeter.

Roger Moute a Bidias (Cameroon) — 17 points The forward led Cameroon in scoring off the bench.

Player of the Match: Shannon Evans (Guinea)

The decisive margin came from beyond the arc. Guinea shot 40% from three-point range while holding Cameroon to just 19.4% — a gap that translated to a significant scoring differential from deep. Guinea also shot 47.4% on two-point attempts (to Cameroon's 45.7%) and converted 66.7% of their free throws against Cameroon's 58.3%.

Guinea shot 44% from the field overall. Cameroon managed just 35%, their second-lowest shooting night of these qualifiers. The Lions had averaged 78.3 points per game across their previous qualifiers but were held well below that mark.

The assist battle (22-14 in Guinea's favour) reflected better ball movement and shot selection from the underdogs. Cameroon actually grabbed 15 offensive rebounds (to Guinea's 9) and created second-chance opportunities, but poor perimeter shooting undermined any interior advantage.

Guinea committed only 8 turnovers, keeping Cameroon from generating easy transition points.

The result tightens Group E considerably. Cameroon (5-2, 12 points) drops from sole possession of first and now sits in a congested pack where five teams are separated by a single win. Guinea (5-3, 13 points) moves to 4-2 in the Second Round standings, keeping their qualification hopes firmly alive.

For context entering Window 4, Cameroon led Group E at 5-1, with Guinea, Tunisia, Nigeria and South Sudan all at 4-2. This result rearranges the picture — the top two from each group plus the best third-placed team advance to the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.

Guinea's next fixture is against Cape Verde. Cameroon face Tunisia next — a rematch of Cameroon's 83-61 win earlier in this window. Both sides need positive results to keep pace.

The game was played at the Salle Multidisciplinaire de Radès in Radès, Tunisia, officiated by referees Amr Aboollo (EGY), Amr Zahed (EGY) and Mohamed Lamline Diawara (MLI). Attendance: 200. Technical Delegate: Abdelaziz Abassi (TUN).

Guinea played their most complete game of these qualifiers, combining hot three-point shooting with disciplined defence. Evans and Boum formed a dynamic backcourt that Cameroon struggled to contain, and Guinea's frontcourt trio of Doumbouya, Diakite and Drame provided interior balance. Cameroon's seven-game winning streak is over, and their path to Qatar just got significantly more complicated.