Friday

Rwanda 62-58 South Sudan

The Rwanda national basketball team broke their winless run at the Afrobasket qualifiers when they beat South Sudan 62-58 in the last game of Group D in the second window.

This is the first win for Rwanda in the 6 games it has played since the qualifiers started in November 2020.

The win against the South Sudanese was rather unexpected, since Rwanda had lost to them during the first window of the qualifiers in Kigali.

In the match that transpired at Salle Mohamed Mzali Arena in Monastir, Tunisia, Rwanda lost the first quarter 19-18, and drew 10-10 in the second to go into the half-time only trailing the South Sudanese by a point.

In the second half, Mwinuka’s boys made a commanding come-back win of 15-9,  but South Sudan turned tables when it won the fourth quarter with a score of 15-9.

This meant that the teams had to go for extra time since they were both locked at 53-53. Rwanda won the extra-time play on 9-5.

Point guard Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza  led Rwanda's scoring with 15 points and added 14 steals, Elia Kaje had 10 points and 5 rebounds,  while Ibeh Prince had 10 points.

For South Sudan, Kuanya NgorKuanya posted 13 points, while Nyang Wek added 7 points.

With all Group D matches played, Nigeria, South Sudan and Mali have qualified for the final tournament as the top 3 teams in the group; while Rwanda also has a ticket already because it is the host of the final tournament in August.

The national basketball team returns to Kigali on Saturday, February 20 aboard a chartered Rwandair flight.