CAIRO (Egypt) - Armee Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) are the 2025 Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA) bronze medallists after revenging their opening game loss to ASC Ville de Dakar to win the Third-Place 90-84 in overtime.
The game, a repeat of last year's bronze medal clash, produced a similar result as the Rwandese side overcame their less-than-ideal start to go 5-1 and reach the podium in their second year of participation.
We made sure to keep our heads together and play together - Destiney Philoxy
Destiney Philoxy was the star of the show in the side's hard-fought victory, scoring a game-high 31 points off a 7-for-13 shooting from the floor. She was also 12-for-16 from the charity stripe.
Philoxy's four points in overtime were crucial for the win. She added 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals for 27 in efficiency rating.
The American-Rwandese international had the chance to clutch the game at the buzzer in regulation time, after Aliyah Matharu tied it on 84 points off a Kierstan Bell technical foul with 11 seconds to play but her shot from range did not drop.
In overtime, ASCD, surprisingly, turned the ball over five times in crucial moments, allowing APR to go 6-0 for victory. Coach Charles Mushumba stuck with a seven-player rotation that saw all started dropping double digits.
Yacine Diop, who scored the other basket in overtime finished with 18 points, one more than Italee Lucas, both pulling down 7 rebounds. The latter, however, added 7 assists and two steals to finished with 20 in efficiency rating.
Meanwhile, WNBA three-time champion Bell finished with 24 on efficiency rating after scoring 10, coming two blocks shy of a rare double-double. She added 5 assists and as many rebounds, finishing with 3 steals as well for what was her best performance of the championship.
Assouma Uwizeye, the other starters, shot 6-of-15 for 14 points, adding 4 rebounds and 2 assists to her day's tally.
The Rwandese point guard, Philoxy, after the victory, which gives her a first club continental podium finish, said: "We had the drive to win this game after losing the semifinal yesterday. We lost the chance to win the championship but we knew we could win third place. The goal coming in was to fight and show our true talent and who we are as a team. We were on the same page, knowing if we didn't play as a team they would tear us apart. We made sure to keep our heads together and play together."
Asked what teams impressed her besides APR, she singled out the finalists Al Ahly Sporting Club and Ferroviario de Maputo, as well as Kenya Ports Authority and today's opponents.
FIBA