APR shatter BAL scoring record, secure bronze medal

APR Basketball Club delivered a historic performance on Friday, claiming a 123-90 victory over Egypt’s Al Ittihad to take third place at the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL), which is the highest finish ever for a Rwandan team in the tournament.

The team’s 123-point haul eclipsed the previous record of 115 points, held by Al Ahli Tripoli in their game against Nairobi City Thunder.

The Rwandan champions came out firing, dominating the early minutes of the game.

Chasson Randle, Ntore Habimana, and Aliou Diarra combined for the first 14 unanswered points before Deng Deng finally got Al Ittihad on the scoreboard with a three-pointer, halting APR’s opening blitz.

Ittihad, who had been unbeaten until their semifinal loss to Petro de Luanda, were clumsy in possession and APR's dominance continued throughout the first quarter as they took a 38-19 lead heading into the second.

Axel Mpoyo's fine shooting form ensured APR continued to dominate in the second quarter. Aside from a solid shooting run from Mido Taha, shots were not falling for Ittihad. By half-time, they trailed 74-34.

Ittihad brought some aggression into the third quarter, with Ahmed Aly Mohamed Ahmed leading from the front. However, the newfound intensity was not all positive as Deng Deng fouled out. A second consecutive quarter finished with an APR buzzer-beater as they took a 91-56 lead into the final quarter.

The embarrassment continued for the recently dethroned former Egyptian champions in the fourth quarter. APR went 26-46 from three-point shooting in a game which hardly saw them challenged by a team that - at one point in the tournament - had looked almost unbeatable.

Due to having lost their national league's finals to Al Ahly, Ittihad will not be at next year's BAL - while APR's place is dependent on retaining their Rwandan Basketball League title.

The All-BAL Defensive First team was also announced, with Jean-Jacques Boissy (Ahli Tripoli), Obadiah Noel (APR), Caleb Agada (Ahli Tripoli), Teafale Lenard Jr. (MBB) and Aliou Diarra (APR) making the cut.