Rwanda 75-67 Egypt

The national basketball team, on Tuesday, February 22, beat Egypt 75-67 in a warm-up match meant to prepare for the upcoming FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

The game took place at the Marius Ndiaye Stadium in Dakar – Senegal, where the team is currently based as they wait for the qualifiers to tipoff.

Cheikh Sarr's men won the first quarter 22-8, but Egypt bounced back to win the second one 25-19 to go into the half-time with a 41-33 lead.

When the teams came back for the second half, Rwanda continued to lead, winning the third quarter 20-14. Egypt claimed the last quarter 20-14, but it was not enough to salvage the victory.

Speaking to Times Sport after the match, Sarr described Egypt as a strong and experienced team, but noted that his boys deserved to win, having played together as a team and stuck to the game-plan.

"We always want to play together as a team, and we did it today. I think the kids understand more about sharing the ball, stopping the transition, taking the best shots and selecting the shooters,” he said.

He however, noted that there are some areas on which to improve, including the boxing-in techniques, as well as reducing the rate on which they commit fouls.

"We fouled a lot today, and a lot of the points they scored were from free throws,” he said.

"But I appreciate it.  The game was a good one. We hit 75 points, even though we were looking for 80, but I am very proud of the kids,” he added.

In the qualifiers, the national team was placed in Group B of the qualifiers along with Cameroon, South Sudan and reigning African champions Tunisia.

When the FIBA World Cup qualifiers showpiece kicks off, Rwanda’s first match will be against South Sudan on February 25.

In the second game, Rwanda will take on Cameroun on February 26, and will wind up their matches against Tunisia on February 27.