Nigeria beat fellow West African side Senegal 76-71 while Tunisia beat Morocco 60-52 in the All North African showdown in the opening semifinal tie.
The win means defending champions Nigeria’s quest for a second straight continental title is on course despite starting the competition in an uninspired manner.
For Co-Host Tunisia, the win is the perfect response to the 2015 heartache where the team missed out on a final berth before its fans.
Tunisia’s Mohammed Hadidane scored 22 points in the game with 15 coming from three point range as the host torched Morocco from deep.
The loss ends Morocco’s fairy tale run in the competition after recording impressive wins over heavyweights Angola and Egypt.
For Senegal, losing to Nigeria means the Lions will have to contend for a bronze medal in consecutive editions after placing fourth in 2015.
Nigeria Captain ike Diogu led the D’Tigers with a 17 point, 14 rebound double double. Senegal plays Morocco at 15:30 GMT in the bronze medal game and Tunisia play Nigeria in the final at 18:00 GMT.
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
