The dwindling fortune of the most decorated nation in the past 29 editions of Africa flagship tournament, Angola, was further compounded Thursday night by a resilient Rwanda side in a Group A encounter of the 30th FIBA AfroBasket at the Kigali Arena.
Rwanda, who edged the Democratic Republic of Congo 82-68 on Tuesday, came from a six-point deficit (61-55) at the close of the third quarter and finally took victory in the high-energy game by 71-68 to maintain a hundred percent record while Angola dropped to 0-2.
Rwanda captain Kenny Gasana proved, once again, that he merited the skipper’s band by not only providing leadership to his teammates but following it up by leading his team in scoring with 18 points, three rebounds, four assists and four steals with an efficiency rating of 17.
“It was a hard-fought victory for us and a special feeling that we were able to humble the former Africa champion. I like to dedicate the much-treasured victory to my teammates for their dedication,” Gasana said, warning they were not getting carried away and are firmly focused on Saturday’s match against Cape Verde.
“We will approach our last group game against Cape Verde on Saturday with all seriousness and I want to say a big thank you to technical crew for a wonderful job and what they have impacted into the players.”
Rwanda forward Alex Mpoyo, who was spectacular on the night, dedicated the victory to the Rwandan fans who cheered the team from the jump-ball to the buzzer.
“It was a nice feeling for knowing that one’s job for the country is being appreciated. Honestly, I can’t thank the fans for coming out in their thousands, singing and dancing from start to finish, they did not even stop singing even when we were trailing and their efforts kind of serve as motivation for us,” said the man who was two-for-two from beyond to finish with ten points and contributed six rebounds off the bench.
Rwanda head Coach, Cheikh Sarr was full of praises for his players and backroom staff, describing the victory as a healing feeling.
“It is the joy of any coach to see that your players and support staff positively interpret what you teach and make good use of them,” Sarr said.
“We will approach our final group game against Cape Verde with all seriousness but we will not throw caution to the wind.”
Not even Angola’s Jilson Bango double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds could save his side from their second straight defeat in Group A. PHOTO/COURTESY
