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
