The final four of the 2011 FIBA Africa Championship have been decided, with a trip to the 2012 London Olympics on the line. Perennial African champion Angola needed two overtimes to get past a surprising Cameroon squad in the round of eight, as Cameroonian Franck Ndongo fouled Angola’s Carlos Morais with his team up one and two seconds left. Morais hit both and Angola moved on.
FIBA Africa Championship 2011: Angola, Cote d’Ivoire Join Tunisia, Nigeria In Semifinals
Angola entered the tournament on a 10-year unbeaten streak in continental competition, but lost to Senegal in group play. But Senegal burned out in the knockouts, falling hard to Cote d’Ivoire, who will now face Tunisia on Saturday for a spot in the finals. Nigeria will face Angola in the other semifinal. The championship and bronze games will be played Sunday.
The Olympic tournament is small, with just 12 teams. Europe and the Americas each qualify two teams, and Asia, Africa and Oceania qualify one apiece. Great Britain has a host nation spot, the United States qualified by winning the 2010 FIBA World Championship and three final teams will qualify from the last-chance tournament in July 2012. Africa usually qualifies just its champion for the Olympics.
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