Rwanda’s U-18 men’s national basketball team made a difficult start to the 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket after suffering a 78-38 defeat to Senegal in their opening Group C match in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Senegal dominated from the start, taking a 24-10 lead at the end of the first quarter before extending the advantage to 48-17 by halftime. Rwanda struggled to contain the Senegalese attack and found it difficult to generate enough points to stay in the contest.
The third quarter ended 17-11 in Senegal’s favour, while Rwanda improved slightly in the final period, which Senegal won 13-10 to complete a 40-point victory.
Rwanda’s scoring was led by Mugisha Calvin, who finished with nine points. The team failed to have a player reach double figures, while Senegal had several players contributing significantly to the score.
The defeat leaves Rwanda with work to do as it looks to recover in its next Group C fixture against Cameroon on Saturday.
Rwanda is competing in Group C alongside Senegal, Cameroon and Tunisia. Cameroon also opened its campaign with a 53-41 victory over Tunisia.
