Eighth Final Round: Rwanda 72 - Senegal 59

TRIPOLI (Afrobasket 2009) - Rwanda provided one of the best but shocking results of the round-of-eight in the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship for Men at the Africa Union Hall in Tripoli with an emphatic 72-59 points victory over Senegal.

The Rwanda who scrap through to this stage due to its only preliminary win over Cape Verde became group-F dreaded side after holding the Senegalese Lions to a 16 points apiece in the first quarter only to breake loose in the second quarter opening an 11 points lead with an 18-07 win to go into the break with 34-23 points advantage.

Boniface Ndong tried to power the Senegalese side back into contention in the third quarter which they won by 21-18 points but it was the Rwanda side who emerge victorious after winning the last quarter by 20-15 points for a cumulative score-line of 72-59 to send clear signal to other teams in the group that they are not in Libya as tourist.

Kenny Gasana led the Rwanda side on the score sheet with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Robert Thomson added 16 points and 8 rebounds while Mathew Miller contributed 14 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds.

Ndong’s Efforts of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists including the 17 points and 11 points, 7 rebounds contributed by the duo of Mohammed Faye and El-Hadji Ndoye were not enough to save their side from defeat.

FIBA Africa