PHOENIX (FIBA U16 African Championship 2017) – Algeria grab the last spot for the semis at the ongoing FIBA U16 African Championship 2017. The North African will take on Mali on Friday at the Phoenix Gymnasium for a place in Saturday's Final .

It may sound harsh for Rwanda, who survived the numerous attacks from their opponents, but the representatives of FIBA Africa zone 5 can celebrate a glorious win. This is exactly what they did when the buzzer went off, as Thierry Nkundwa homed in a last-second net to secure a 57-55 victory for his side.

Despite this, Algeria got the remaining ticket for the semis as Rwanda will face off Mozambique - who knock off host Mauritius 83-31- in the Classification Game (5-6 Place).

It was a game of last chances for Algeria, who took it until the last second. “I will admit it was stressful at times during the game”, head coach Benakouche Azzzedine, told FIBA.basketball.

Algeria, who claimed a Third-Place finish two years ago have high ambition this time round. “We needed to have a go at it. Now we had our take, we are relieved,” Azzedine said.

Algeria will clash Mali in the semis. A hard game awaits the team, who still wants to remain humble and easygoing.

“It’s Mali, you know. We have had our ups and downs since the beginning, but we will get into this battle with as much confidence as we can have”, the play caller explained.

Now that the game is on, Algeria know they have to play it to the fullest. “We will play to a 100 % of our capacity. We made a vow to reach the Final Four. I would like to extend my thanks and congratulations to the staff and the players. We met our targets and we expect at least a Third-Place finish.”

FIBA