KIGALI (Rwanda) – Côte d'Ivoire arrived at the Petit Stade de Kigali intent on making history, and they left with a resounding 97–38 victory over the hosts, Rwanda.
The Ivorians left nothing to chance, and their opponents struggled in a game that had slipped away from them by the end of the first quarter.
While Rwanda showed some resistance early on, a 29–7 run in the second quarter left them floundering.
Sensing the opportunity, Côte d’Ivoire never took their foot off the gas, putting on a show to the fans' delight.
In the semi-finals, Côte d’Ivoire will face Egypt, hoping to deliver another historic performance.
TURNING POINT: When Côte d'Ivoire scored just five seconds into the game, they had no idea that they would overcome the quarter-final hurdle so easily.
They quickly went 8-2 up, then 11-5 after five minutes, and maintained the pace even as Rwanda tried to keep up. The gap was still only seven points (19–12).
However, a 9–2 run early in the second quarter stretched the lead to 14 points, and the Ivorians continued to dominate, achieving a 20–5 run and going into halftime 29 points ahead (48–19).
The remaining two quarters were merely a formality, as Côte d’Ivoire extended their lead to 38 points (66–28) by the end of the third quarter. A crushing 31–10 final quarter sealed Rwanda’s fate, relegating them to the classification games.
HEROES: Jean-Philippe Oka was the star of the night. With 21 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists, he single-handedly carried Côte d'Ivoire to victory.
He made 9 out of 14 two-point shots and 3 out of 7 free throws.
Owo Paul Emmanuel Adja contributed 19 points alongside him, shooting 5-of-8 from two-point range and 3-of-8 from deep, while also grabbing two rebounds.
STATS DON’T LIE: Everything that Côte d'Ivoire attempted worked to perfection.
Their strong presence in the paint resulted in 66 points, while their bench produced 46 compared to Rwanda’s 22.
They also dominated second-chance points (29) and equalled that total in fast-break scoring.
In contrast, Rwanda’s poor shooting inside the arc – with only 6 successful shots from 34 attempts – severely damaged their chances.
BOTTOM LINE: Côte d’Ivoire have reached their first ever semi-final at the FIBA U16 AfroBasket tournament.
Previously, their best finish was fifth place, but this time they have secured a spot in the last four and can dream of going even further and writing a new chapter in their history.
Meanwhile, Rwanda will now compete for fifth or sixth place. This was their heaviest loss of the year, and it came in front of their home fans.
WHAT HE SAID: “They (Rwanda) gave us some trouble in the first and second quarters. At halftime, the coach told us to get back on the floor and play the basketball we know. Against Egypt, we’ll try to bring rhythm and impact right from the start. Being in the Semi-Finals means a lot for us. We always stopped at the Quarter-Finals before. But this year, it’s going to be our year. We came here to win and to go home with the trophy.” – Côte d’Ivoire player forward Owo Paul Emmanuel Adja.
FIBA