FIBA W’cup qualifiers: Rwanda women taste first loss against Great Britain
Friday, August 23, 2024

The Great Britain Women overpowered Rwanda in a 75-61 victory on Thursday night, August 22, to secure a ticket to the semi-finals of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup pre-qualifiers.

In front of a fully packed BK Arena, the Great Britain proved almost impossible for Rwanda to register a win, despite the latter winning the previous two games.

Cheikh Sarr's women stepped on the floor with a sense of urgency leading 10-2 with less than three minutes into the first quarter.

But the Britons were quick to respond , taking a 14-0 run to take a 16-10 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

"There are a lot of things we need to correct especially on the defensive side of the floor,” Sarr said after the game.

"We knew what was at risk, and that’s how we were able to slow (Great) Britain late in the game.”

Into the second quarter, Anna Montañana's team extended their lead with 26-2 run, going into the locker room with a comfortable 45-23 lead.

Maya Price came off the bench shooting 6-for-9 to finish with 12 points.

"We knew Rwanda would come with a lot of energy; we knew we needed to match that. That's how we came up with the win," Maya said in a post-match press conference.

Great Britain overpowered Rwanda on both ends of the floor, taking home the win.

The Semi-finals have turned into an Africa-Europe affair following the departure of representatives from the Americas and Asia.

Losing the game saw the hosts set a semifinal matchup with Senegal while Great Briatain will take on Hungary. Both matchups will take place Saturday at BK Arena.