Rwanda’s U18 women’s basketball team have been knocked out of the Zone 5 FIBA Africa Championship qualifiers after a 78-74 defeat to Kenya in the semi-finals in Cairo, Egypt.
The two teams met on Tuesday night, July 28, at Cairo Stadium Indoor Hall 2, with a place in the regional final at stake.
Rwanda entered the knockout stage after finishing second in the group standings. The team had defeated Kenya 77-66 but suffered narrow losses to Tanzania (60-58) and Egypt (80-39). Egypt topped the group, followed by Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.
Under the competition format, the top-ranked team faced the fourth-placed side in the semi-finals, while the second-placed team played the third-placed team.
Kenya started strongly and built an early advantage that Rwanda could not fully recover from. Kenya won the opening quarter 18-17 before taking the second quarter 26-23.
The two sides were evenly matched after halftime, drawing 17-17 in both the third and fourth quarters, but Kenya maintained its lead to secure a 78-74 victory and advance to the final.
Rwanda’s standout performers included Atete Laissa Ndaruhutse, who scored 19 points, Kwitonda Teta Nicole with 15 points, and Gaju Kaylia Chalva, who added 14 points.
The team coached by Munyaneza Joseline will now face Tanzania on Wednesday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m. Kigali time in the third-place playoff.
The Zone 5 champions will earn qualification for the FIBA U18 Women’s African Championship, scheduled for August 5-16, 2026, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Meanwhile, Rwanda’s U18 men’s basketball team has already secured a place at the continental tournament after reaching the Zone 5 final. The team defeated Uganda 70-65 in the semi-finals to qualify alongside Egypt.
Rwanda’s boys will face Egypt in the final on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., while South Sudan and Uganda will compete for third place earlier in the day.
