CAIRO (Egypt) - In a clear mismatch both on paper and court, star-studded Armee Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) got the better of Malawi's Bravehearts, racing to a 92-37 victory, the highest scoring game so far.
This is the first win for the reigning bronze medalists in the 2025 Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA), having lost their opening game 78-71 to ASC Ville de Dakar on Saturday.
In a game where all APR starters, but three-time time Women's NBA champion Kiersten Bell, scored in double digits, Yacine Diop and Italee Lucas led the charge on offense.
Diop, a 2023 champion with Alexandria Sporting, who barely put a foot wrong, topped the scores with 22, shooting 8-for-10 including 4-for-6 from deep. She added 7 steals, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and was only booked once, while turning the ball over twice for the highest efficiency rating so far at 36.
Her efforts were complimented by three-time champion and former Most Valuable Player (MVP) Lucas who not only dropped 18 points with a 7-for-12 shooting, including 4 from behind the arc, but also provided a team-leading 9 assists, adding 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
Destiney Philoxy scored 16, with Assouma Uwizeye coming off the bench to drop 15 with a 7-for-10 shooting from inside, adding 11 rebounds for the only double-double for the side.
Diop told FIBA.basketball: "The game was pretty easy for us. We focused on working on the things we needed to, play as a team and show that we are here to win. I didn't feel too good about my performance in the first game because I know I can play hard. So coming in today the focus was getting my rhythm back and now that we are back on track the mindset is now set on winning the next game."
FIBA