Rwanda U16 boys lost their last group phase game of the 2023 FIBA U16 African Championships, following a shock 59-60 defeat against Group rivals Angola on Monday, July 17, at Salle Mohamed Mzali, Monastir.
Rwanda had a slow start to the game, letting Angola open a nine-point lead to take first quarter 9-18 before reducing the deficit to seven points after winning the second quarter 17-15 to go into halftime Angola leading 33-26.
Back in the second half, Angola maintained their lead with 44-52 at the end of third quarter.
But Patrick Habiyambere’s boys fought back to level the score 55-55 inside the first six minutes of the final quarter.
They went on to take the quarter 15-8 but it was not enough to take home the result, losing the game by just a point.
Despite the defeat, Rwanda finished in third position which was enough for them to advance to the quarter-finals.
Ivan Mugabo grabbed 18 points and 6 rebounds, while Plamedie Bizimana Kayira and Joseph Nshimiye added 11 points by each respectively.
After the game, Rwanda coach Patrick Habiyaremye admitted that Angola took advantage of his team’s slow start which cost them a win that could have seen them finish the group phase in a better position.
“We started badly in the first quarter, the players came back to the game in the third quarter, did their best but we lost our chances,” he told Times Sport in a post-game interview.
“So now we are going to continue preparing for the quarter finals even though we don’t know the team we will play against. But we still have the goal of winning.”
Rwanda U16 boys reached the quarter finals of the ongoing 2023 FIBA U16 men’s African Championships after a hard fought 74-69 victory over Group A rivals Côte d’Ivoire on Sunday.
