ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Rwanda and Nigeria will battle for ninth place at the 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket after picking their first wins at the tournament.
How did we get here?
Nigeria beat Morocco 84-76 in a high-scoring game at Salle Polyvalente, thanks to a huge second half in which they scored 54 points.
Both teams did not pick a single win during the group phase and were desperate for victory.
Morocco followed a closely contested first quarter that they edged 17-16 with a strong defensive effort that limited Nigeria to 14 points for a 7-point halftime lead.
The Junior D’Tigers returned from the locker room with new energy, exploding for 31 third-quarter points, and the game went into the fourth quarter with a one-point (61-60) advantage to Nigeria.
Morocco momentarily took charge early in the fourth quarter, but once Nigeria restored their lead through Victor Sunday’s foul-basket, they held on to the final buzzer.
Sunday notched a double-double of 19 points and 10 assists to lead Nigeria. Olakunle Aribo added 17, Ekene Unekwe contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Emmanuel Idornigie had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Morocco’s Mehdi Berrada led all scorers with 25 points. Mohamed-Zouhir Zoubir (16 points), Sofiane Ben Rezouk (12) and Mohamed El Baze (11) also scored in double figures.
Rwanda hold off Gabon for first win
In the other classification game, Rwanda recorded their first win at the tournament after beating Gabon 88-83.
Rwanda used a strong third quarter on both ends of the court to pull away and establish a relatively insurmountable lead for the win. Rwanda scored 22 points and limited Gabon to 9.
Rwanda led by as many as 22 points early in the fourth quarter but had to hold off a late run from Gabon, who scored 41 points in the period, the highest scored in a single quarter at the tournament.
Coach Aristide Mugabe kept his rotation thin and gave playing time to players who did not play much during the groups. The seven-man rotation saw all but two players score in double figures, led by Victor Nzgabonziza, who netted 21 points, picked 10 rebounds and dished out 5 assists.
Plamedie Bizimana (19 points & 11 rebounds), Joshwa Muhirwa (12 points & 14 rebounds), Manzi Kabenga (17 points & 10rebounds) and David Kazaneza (15 points) were the other players to contribute in double figures.
Daryll Georges Mbiguis hit 7 3-pointers as he went for a game-high 24 points in a losing effort. Junior Aboubacar Garba Nangha-Ngoualh scored 20 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. Bradon Bibang (15 points & 7 assists) and Jean Vianney Mebyame (10 points) also contributed in double figures for Gabon.
Next Up
Nigeria and Rwanda will face off in the 9th place playoff while Gabon and Morocco will play for 11th place.
FIBA