Rabat, February 22— Rwanda suffered a narrow 86-83 defeat to Cameroon in the FIBA AfroBasket 2025 Qualifiers Window 3, extending their losing streak and leaving their qualification hopes hanging until the final game.
Rwanda, eager to secure AfroBasket 2025 qualification, faced an already qualified Cameroon but struggled in the paint—just as they did against Senegal—due to a lack of dominant big men.
Despite their difficulties attacking the rim, Rwanda relied heavily on three-point shooting, a strategy that worked well until the final moments.
Dr. Sarr’s team led for most of the game, but momentum shifted in the last two minutes after Ntore Habimana (17 PTS, 6 REB, 9 AST, 4 STL) fouled out.
Axel Mpoyo led Rwanda’s offense with 26 points, shooting 7-of-12 from behind the arc, as the team made 16-of-38 from three-point range. However, Cameroon’s resilience proved too much to overcome.
Rwanda’s loss was largely due to their failure to score any second-chance points, while Cameroon had 13.
They now face a must-win game against Gabon or must avoid losing by more than 27 points to qualify for AfroBasket 2025 in Angola.
