KIGALI (Rwanda) - On paper, undefeated Senegal look stronger, but they will be put to the test when they take on hosts Rwanda, who are likely to count on their rowdy home crowd that has been terrific all along.
The numbers, history, all lie in favour of Senegal, but can hosts Rwanda upset Senegal and make it to the final?
Key Matchup
Cierra Dillard has been the heart-and-soul of Senegal's offense, but facing Destiney Philoxy or Ineza Sifa will present quite a challenge for Dillard who averages 14 points and records a team-high of 6.3 assists per game.
Another interesting matchup will see Rwanda's Bella Murekatete going up against Senegal's bigs Madjiguene Sene, Fatou Diagne and Khadidiatou Sarr.
Rising star Ndioma Kane leads Senegal with team-highs of 17 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, but, it remains to be seen if she is capable of maintaining her rhythm against former WNBA player Keisha Hampton.
X-factor
Local fans continue to turn out at BK Arena in their thousands in support of their heroes, and this is proven crucial for the hosts. Except for Great Britain, who desperately needed to win to stay in contention and smartly outclassed Rwanda in the last day of Group D, Lebanon and Argentina struggled to stick to their game plans, in part, due to the impact of the home crowd who has played a sixth-man role.
Of course, Rwanda super stars Bella Murekatete, Ineza Sifa and Keisha Hampton will need to bring their A-game to steer their team to the final, but Senegal shouldn't fear the home crowd.
Stats don't lie
Unless Rwanda's bench comes up productive, they will be in trouble to contain Senegal - the only undefeated team in the competition so far.
A thorough look into Rwanda's bench production might cause Cheikh Sarr some anxiety, and this became clearer in Rwanda's 75-61 loss to Great Britain when its bench was outscored 34-9.
Offensively, Senegal record the second highest - behind Hungary - point-average per game with 73 points per game compared to Rwanda's 66.
It's in the painted area where Senegal, who set a record for most rebounds (70) in a single game - register an unparalleled dominance, averaging a tournament-high 53 rebounds per game compared to Rwanda's 44.
Past matchups
Except for friendly games, the last time Senegal and Rwanda faced off at a major competition, the former prevailed 71-61 during a Group Phase match at FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2011 held in Bamako, Mali.
Rwanda missed out the subsequent five editions of the biennial continental event before returning as hosts of the 2023 Women's AfroBasket.
There might be a poor historic between these two teams, but all eyes will be on Rwanda head coach Cheikh Sarr, a Senegalese who coached his native country's national teams (men and women), but has been in charge of Rwanda national teams (men and women) for the last four years.
They said:
"We know Senegal's style of play. They play full-court press; they are very physical; they have very good shooters as well. it's up to us to be disciplined, stick to our game plan and we need to be able to execute one-on-one in pick-and-roll situations." - Rwanda head coach, Cheikh Sarr.
"I have to remain a professional. Senegal is my country; I picked some of those players to the national team, including Yacine Diop. I work for Rwanda. My mind is here. I am going to fight to do my best to beat Senegal." - Rwanda head coach, Cheikh Sarr.
"We are here to compete.. As of right now we have no limits. We are here to compete against any team and trying to get the wine. - Senegal forward Yacine Diop.
FIBA