Sunday, August 24 Final Angola 70-43 Mali Third place Senegal 98-72 Cameroon Angola secured their 12th FIBA men’s Afrobasket title after beating Mali 70-43 on Sunday, August 24, in Angola. Though not their most impressive performance in the tournament, the hosts led from start to finish. With a lead of more than 20 points in the third quarter, the Angolan fans performed the Mexican wave in unison. At that point, there was no way back for Mali led by Aliou Diarra who was instrumental in eliminating Cameroon in the semifinals. Petro de Luanda star guard Childe Dundao led the new champions in scoring with 16 points and 5 assists and received MVP chants later in the fourth quarter. Selton Miguel was the other Angolan to score in the double digits, finishing with 12 points. ALSO READ: Rwanda eliminated from 2025 Afrobasket Siriman Kanoute and Aliou Diarra led Mali with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Angola’s championship winning roster completed their 2025 AfroBasket campaign with a perfect 6-0 while Mali, who reached final for the first time, finished 4-3. Mali's 43 points are the fewest scored in an AfroBasket in the last three decades. Their resistance only lasted until halftime, when they trailed 32-20. What followed was a one-sided affair for the hosts, who led by as many as 27 points and never took their foot off the pedal. ALSO READ: Afrobasket 2025: Rwanda lose against DR Congo in second game Mali started the final quarter with a 5-0 scoring run, but Angola's determination to secure their first continental title in 12 years proved too much for Mali. Angola point guard Dundao, the shortest player in the tournament at 1.67m, was the heart and soul of the team. Not only did the Petro de Luanda star spend the longest time on the court, at 33:33 minutes, he was also vocal and a real floor general whose incredible campaign was enough to be named Afrobasket 2025 MVP. Although trailing by 12 at halftime seemed recoverable, Mali never really locked in offensively. Their 18 turnovers in the opening quarter clearly showed their difficulty handling Angola's aggressiveness. To make matters worse, Angola capitalized on Mali's sloppy plays, scoring 22 points off their 24 turnovers. Mali, usually a decent rebounding team, was outrebounded 54–36. Angola limited Mali's momentum early on by containing their key players Aliou Diarra, Mahamane Coulibaly, and Siriman Kanoute and the strategy worked. Kanoute registered the most turnovers (10) in a 2025 AfroBasket game and finished with five on Sunday while Coulibaly, known for his scoring prowess, finished 1-for-9 from the floor and finished with just two points. After 12 years, Angola's wait ended in remarkable fashion. A packed Kilamba Arena witnessed Angola's new heroes overcome adversity to win their 12th AfroBasket title which they last won in 2013. Meanwhile, Senegal finished third in the 2025 AfroBasket tournament after defeating Cameroon 98-72 on Sunday in Luanda.
