RABAT (Morocco) - Senegal are on their way to Angola after beating Rwanda 96-73 in the second game of Group C in Rabat, Morocco.
Former NBA Academy players Jean Jacques Boissy and Babacar Sane combined for 36 points off the bench as Senegal improved their unbeaten record in the 2025 AfroBasket qualifiers to 4-0.
It was Senegal's second straight win over Rwanda, having defeated the East Africans 81-59 in the first round last November.
TURNING POINT: A 20-point deficit in the second quarter, after a 13-13 scoreline at the end of the first, told a story of a Rwandan team that could have caused some trouble, but was unable to stop a freight train of a Senegalese side.
Alex Mpoyo's three-pointer early in the second quarter gave Rwanda a 16-13 lead, but Jean-Jacques Boissy's triple levelled the score at 16 before Ousmane Ndiaye's layup sparked a 48-30 Senegal lead at the break.
Senegal's intensity was so damaging that no matter how hard Rwanda tried to dig out of the hole they found themselves in, the gap between the two teams continued to widen.
HEROES: Boissy's game-high of 19 points and Sane's 17 points turned out the difference makers in the one-sided affair.
STATS DON'T LIE: Senegal's bench proved crucial outscoring Rwanda's 58-23, but it was Senegal's exceptions ball movement of 24 assists that wrote the story of the game.
BOTTOM LINE: It was Senegal's fourth straight win in qualifying, while Rwanda fell to 1-3.
The biggest difference between the two sides was the way Senegal defended throughout the four quarters, rarely allowing Rwanda to get away with their game plan.
With Senegal's starting line-up spending long spells on the bench, it was the second unit that got the job done.
THEY SAID: "Their size and height. That's why they got a lot of second chances and won." - Rwanda assistant coach Yves Murenzi.
"There are no limits for our team. We don't want to say much, but we are on a mission." Senegal forward Babacar Sane.
FIBA