ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Rwanda tried hard to secure their first win in the 2025 Women's AfroBasket, but Mozambique proved to be a tough opponent.
After losing to Mozambique 72-55 on Sunday in Abidjan, Rwanda dropped to 0-2, while Mozambique got off to a perfect start, as Carla Covane later admitted.
Covane spent the most time on the floor (33:43) and was one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Her partner in crime, Leia Dongue, was also close to a double-double, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds. Ingvild Mucauro contributed 11 points for the Mozambicans, who will take on the reigning champions, Nigeria, on Monday.
TURNING POINT: Destiney Philoxy opened the scoring with a drive to the basket, but Leia Dongue — who else? – tied the game at 2–2, sparking a 5–0 scoring run for Mozambique 2.5 minutes into the game. Mozambique never trailed again.
The Pearls of the Indian Ocean, as they are colloquially known, went on a scoring spree. They led by as many as 14 points in the first half and finished their Group D campaign with a 17-point win.
HERO: According to Carla Covane, the key to their success wasn't one or two players in particular, but rather, their team spirit.
Mozambique demonstrated an impressive team effort, finishing with 20 assists and out-rebounding Rwanda 46-37.
Although Rwanda had an 11-0 scoring run, Mozambique saved their best for last, scoring 19 points later in the game.
STATS DON'T LIE: Rwanda star player Bella Murekatete has yet to show her full potential at the 2025 Women's AfroBasket tournament.
In two games, the former Washington State University star averaged just seven points. To make matters worse for Rwanda, the 6-foot-3-inch forward fouled out in the third quarter with 44 seconds left to play and Rwanda trailing 54-45.
BOTTOM LINE: It was the first matchup between the two teams, and Mozambique dominated for most of the 40 minutes, never feeling threatened.
With a 0–2 record in Group A, Rwanda has no chance of overtaking Nigeria or Mozambique in the standings.
Cheikh Sarr's team will now try to turn things around in the Classification Round against the team that finished second in Group C, consisting of Senegal, Uganda, and Guinea.
WHAT THEY SAID: "We came into this game knowing that winning the first game would give us some tranquility in the Championship. We had some missteps, but I am sure we'll get better as time goes on. No matter what we have to stick together if we are to win games in this tournament." - Mozambique center, Carla Covane.
FIBA