Rwanda’s men’s national 3x3 basketball team won a silver medal at the FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup 2024 in Antananarivo, after a 3-22 final loss at the hands of hosts Madagascar on Sunday, December 1. The last time Rwanda participated in the FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup was in 2022 in Cairo, Egypt, where they won bronze—their first ever medal in the competition—after beating Tunisia 21-17 in the third place match. Sunday’s final was as one-sided as it gets as the Madagascans dominated Rwanda throughout the game. The home side couldn’t be stopped as they caught fire from deep. Livio Ratianarivo, who had been unstoppable on the day, put up 11 points in the resounding result. The game turned into a result for the history books as Madagascar came away with a 22-3 victory. The hosts’ women’s side had a similar run of form, going unbeaten on their way to the final where they faced a strong Egypt side, a team they barely got the better of in pool play. ALSO READ: Rwandan players vow to ‘fight for pride’ at FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup 2024 It was a back-and-forth game for the most part, but it was Minaoharisoa Jaofera whose all-round performance paved the way for a breakthrough. An 8-point, 6-rebound display sealed the deal for the home side as they secured the 20 - 15 result. In the bronze medal games, 2023 Africa Cup Gold medalists Kenya (women) got a win over Benin. Esther Ashley Minayo took over with a 10-point, 6-rebound game in a 20 - 11 victory. The dynamic Algerians finished an electric tournament with men’s bronze after beating Benin 18 - 15 on the third place match. Scoring machine Chakib Sedoud put up 9 points and 7 rebounds in the winning effort. ALSO READ: Rwanda ready for FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup 2024-Mutokambali Livio Ratianarivo was the offensive star of the tournament, he put up 24 points over 2 games on the final day, bookending a perfect display from Madagascar in this event. He took home MVP honors and led the men’s team of the tournament alongside Rwanda’s Olivier Turatsinze and Algeria’s Chakib Sedoud who were the key pieces in their teams medaling in Antananarivo. Madagascar’s (women) Christiane Jaofera was the floor general for her side. She finished with a tournament-high player value of 32.9. Her output on both ends led the home side to the win. She won the MVP award, headlining the women’s team of the tournament with Egypt’s Habiba Mohamed and Kenya’s Christine Akinyi who were the driving forces for their teams as they finished with silver and bronze respectively. Men's standings Madagascar Rwanda Algeria Benin Kenya Mauritania Seychelles Central African Republic Uganda Egypt Women 's standings Madagascar Egypt Kenya Benin Rwanda Uganda Comoros
