APR women’s basketball club got off to a strong start to the women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) with a hard fought 73-68 win over DR Congo’s CNSS in their opening match held Marius Ndiaye Arena in Dakar, Senegal, on Saturday, December 7.

The army side, which is in Dakar on a wild card, fielded a star-studded squad that includes WNBA star Kierstan Bell who made a great impact to the team’s win.

APR were put to the test by Congo DR's CNSS who are making their third consecutive appearance in the continental showpiece, they held on and went for a clutch 73-68 win.

"This was a tough game but we tried to play hard and came back. They dominated us on the paint and on rebounding and it took teamwork to win this one. The first win is key as it gives us momentum going forward. We will make adjustments where necessary and come back stronger," said Assouma Uwizeye who bagged a double-double in the win.

A second quarter rally for the Congolese silver medalists, who dominated the paint (46-26), saw them outscore APR 21-13 to tie the game at 23 points and assume lead at 28-26 before heading to the halftime break ahead (30-28).

A 26-15 third quarter for the Rwandan side making a comeback to the continental stage since their debut in 2022, where they went 0-6, changed the tide in their favour. However, the never say die Koko Ade-coached side fought for 23-19 in the final stanza, with APR shooting from range to keep their lead for their first victory in the continental competition.

REG fall to Ferroviario

Meanwhile, five of Ferroviario de Maputo's players registered double digits on points as their side survived a Rwanda Energy Group (REG) second half comeback attempt to pick a 78-74 opening win.

The Nasir Salé-coached side held their biggest lead at 50-38 in the third quarter, but the Rwandan side rallied from behind to come close at 54-52 and again at 72-70 but could not get the job finished as the former African champions held on for victory.

While REG rebounded better (47-38) to go 20-11 on second chance points, they were dominated 38-28 on the paint, 17-9 on points off turnovers and 20-02 on fast breaks, the Mozambique's side's bench also running the numbers for 30-10 for the win.

"We were not able to match up Ferroviario's intensity and that was the biggest difference today," Julian Martinez, head coach REG.