Rwanda on Friday clinched a berth to the 2023 FIBA AfroCan when they beat Burundi 70-48 in the final of FIBA AfroCan Zone 5 qualifiers at Benjamin Mkapa Indoor Court, Dar es salaam in Tanzania.

The Rwandan National team has had another line of history penned down after qualifying for their first-ever AfroCan tournament.

Dr Sarr’s team went into the do-or-die game following a 3-1 mark in the first round of Group games, defeating Eritrea, South Sudan, and Tanzania but losing to Burundi.

In an easy contest, Rwanda dominated their neighbors in the first five minutes of the game, dropping 17-4 and taking the lead they never relinquished till the buzzer.

The Rwandan led 43-27 at halftime after the first quarter concluded 27-11.

When the teams took the floor for the second half, the crowd cheered on the Burundians as they attempted to cut the deficit, but this time, Rwanda played with a strong defense, giving the Burundians no chance to get back into the game. Third-quarter results were 55-39.

The Rwandans took up where they left off in the third quarter not just to finish the game on a high note (70-48), but also to avenge their 53-52 setback to Burundi on Wednesday and to claim the Zone 5 bragging rights.

In 20 minutes on the floor, William Robeyns scored a game-high 19 points while Dieudonné Ndizeye contributed 15 points. Joe Guibert Nijimbere was the only Burundian to reach double figures as he scored 13 points

Rwanda’s Nshobozwabyosenumukiza was named tournament MVP after outperforming every other participant.

Angola will host the 12-nation 2023 AfroCan in Luanda from July 8 to 16 this year. They become the second country to organize the competition since Mali hosted the inaugural edition in 2019.

Rwanda joins already qualified countries such as reigning champions DR Congo, Kenya, who came second in the previous edition, Angola, which finished third, and Morocco, which finished fourth, for the July event. Gabon, Mali, Mozambique, and Cameroon will also compete in the tournament after winning their respective zones.

Rwanda is pitted in Group C alongside Morocco and the winners of Zone 1 Qualifier

Following a series of wins against Eritrea, South Sudan and Tanzania, Rwanda’s poor offense and silly turnovers in the last quarter cost them a game against Burundi.

Rwandan National Basketball Team led by seven points going into the fourth quarter at Benjamin Mkapa Indoor Court, but seven turnovers and one offensive rebound allowed a motivated Burundian side to come back and beat them by a narrow 53-52 score.

Burundi commanded the opening seven minutes of the game, leading by six points (9-15). Osborn’s three from the corner cut that deficit to three points before he connects with Nshobozwabyosemukiza on back-to-back three-pointers to conclude the quarter in Rwanda’s favor. 18-15.

Rwanda continued to play admirably, scoring eight points in a row to compel Aaron Kagabo to take a timeout and change his strategy. The Burundians gradually lost the quarter, behind by five points (31-36) at the break.

Poor shooting and frequent turnovers began to occur in the third period. Dr. Cheick Sarr’s squad went down and began to give the balls away while missing open shots, resulting in a lower score. The Rwandans put in 10 points while the opponent scored 8.

For the first three quarters, The Rwandans counterpunched practically every blow Burundians delivered. However, the mistakes and an inability to beat back one final charge by Burundi in the fourth quarter cost Rwanda in a 53-52 loss in game 4 of the FIBA AfroCan Zone 5 Qualifiers.

Guibert Nijimbere and his compatriots staged a comeback and took a point lead as a result of seven turnovers and Rwanda’s failure to make shots (2-of-8 FGs).

The Rwandans had a chance to tie the game by taking advantage of Landry Ndikumana’s foul in the last second of the game. However, the coaching staff should be held accountable for misinterpreting Landry’s unsportsmanlike foul as a technical foul.

While the foul was committed on Dick Sano Rutatika, who was substituted due to a concussion, Hagumintwali took the free throw that Sano’s substitute was meant to take. and the officials didn’t hesitate to cancel the basket and give possession to the Burundians. Full-time, Burundi prevails 53-52.

Jean Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza led the Rwandans with 18 points, while Guibert Nijimbere had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists for Burundi. The former City Oilers big man, Landry Ndikumana contributed 7 points, 15 rebounds, and two assists.

Burundi finished the group stage with an unblemished record of four games. They will have to square off with the Rwandans, the second-ranked team (3-1) to determine the Zone 5 representative in 2023 AfroCan.

RDV on Friday, June 23 at Benjamin Mkapa indoor court

Making his second appearance in the senior national team, former U-16 & U-18 National team captain, Dick Sano Rutatika continues to show tremendous promise. The 19-year-old had 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting and had seven rebounds in the win against South Sudan

Rutatika hit 3-of-6 three-pointers and scored a team-high 11 points in 19 minutes to help Rwanda win its second consecutive FIBA AfroCan Zone 5 Qualifier.

With a huge performance by Rutatika, Rwanda picked up a much-needed win in the AfroCan qualifiers, defeating South Sudan 72-55 on Monday, June 19 at Benjamin Mkapa Indoor Court.

Rwanda started well, however, suffered a massive blow as the leading point guard William Robeyns had an injury that held him out for 37 minutes.

The Rwandans won the opening quarter 16-14 then Dr Sarr chose to deploy the bench team in the second quarter, and they outscored South Sudan 21-9.

In the third quarter, Rwanda maintained its lead and went into the final ten minutes with a 19-point lead, 36-55. The last ten minutes were insufficient for Ajou Deng’s side to close the gap, as they lost 55-72.

Dick Sano Rutatika, Ntore Habimana, Steven Hagumintwali, and Dieudonne Ndizeye Ndayisaba all finished with 11 points apiece. Aluk Lual Adub of South Sudan led all scorers with 17 points.

Rutatika made his senior debut on Sunday when Rwanda defeated Eritrea 114-34. In 19 minutes, he had 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Rutatika,19, 2.06 m, a graduate of NBA Africa, is regarded as a prospective talent after leading the National teams at the under-age level. He averaged 10.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in the 2022 FIBA U18 African Championship.

In the 2019 FIBA U16 African Championship, Rutatika had 13.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. He currently plays and studies in the USA

Rwanda’s next match is against Tanzania on Tuesday night at Benjamin Mkapa Indoor Stadium.