BEN Mbala stood out anew with 32 points and 10 rebounds but his efforts were not enough as Cameroon lost to Nigeria, 106-91, on Thursday (Friday, Manila time) in the quarterfinals of the Fiba Afrobasket in Tunisia.
The La Salle big man earned another double-double but it failed to carry Cameroon to a place in the semifinals of the African championship.
Still, Mbala's effort was even better than former NBA player Ike Diogu, who had 28 points and nine boards for Nigeria.
Mbala shot 11-of-22 from the field including a 2-of-6 from threes for Cameroon. He also had three steals.
The 6-foot-7 Cameroonian led his national team in points, rebounds, steals and free throws in their AfroBasket stint with averages of 21.8 points, 9.3 markers, 5.5 free throws made, and 2 steals in four outings. He also shot 1.8 triples a game.
With Cameroon already eliminated from title contention, Mbala could possibly return for the Green Archers as early as Saturday against National University.
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