Lions Dominate in Dakar: Senegal Crush Rwanda 81-58 in AfroBasket Qualifiers Opener!

Lions Dominate in Dakar: Senegal Crush Rwanda 81-58 in AfroBasket Qualifiers Opener!

Senegal's and Rwanda's men's national teams share some history. The two nations have met five times, and the Senegalese have won four times. Yesterday, at the Dakar Arena, the sixth match-up between the two countries saw Senegal win again, this time by a score of 81-58.

It was all thanks to the combined 28 points of Youssou Ndoye and Brancou Badio, who each scored 14 points to give Senegal a victory in front of their home fans. But let there be no mistake: the Rwandans did not give their opponents free rein.

They held on as long as they could. And the Lions of Teranga were the first to make their mark. Gora Camara and then Amar Sylla gave the hosts a 5-0 lead before William Robeyns put Rwanda back in the game with a shot from behind the arc. Robeyns, on fire from behind the arc, kept Rwanda in the game (7-6). Cadeau de Dieu Furaha even gave Rwanda the lead, albeit briefly(8-7).

But Amar Sylla and then Brancou Badio, who showed he was just as skilful behind the three-point line, put Senegal back in front. From then on, the Lions never looked back, having a ready-made answer to every Rwandan attempt to regain the lead.

Osborn Shema reduced the deficit to one point (16-15), but Ndoye and Babacar Sane propelled the Lions to 20 points with 37 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Salim Noah Bigirumwami scored the final basket to give the Rwandans some slim hope (20-17), but things were already decided.

The second quarter was much the same as the first, with Robeyns scoring twice more from behind the arc. But Senegal had taken the treasure of the Rwandans and was giving them a hard time, with Ndoye having fun dunking to remind them that they were by no means on the conquered ground. As a result, the second quarter score (23-14) gave the hosts a 12-point advantage.

In the third quarter, the Rwandans collapsed. With Robeyns blocked, they found little inspiration with just 10 points, while Senegal took advantage to score 21 points. It was all over. But in the final quarter, Rwanda had a burst of pride. They held off their opponents (17-17). But it came too late and was not enough to turn the tide. Senegal won 81-58 by a margin of 23 points.

Analysing his side's victory at the post-match press conference, coach Desagana Diop explained that he had confidence in the players. He further added that some aspects needed a review.

"At one point, it was Brancou (Badio) who asked me to switch positions, because we didn't get many rebounds. His suggestions worked, as we all saw it. But I'm convinced we can still be better than we were today."

For his part, Youssou Ndoye echoed his coach's comments.

"We played as a team. But I think there's still room for improvement tomorrow."

On the Rwandan side, the Senegalese performance was acknowledged.

"Senegal are a good team. It's hard to play against them. We were in the game at the start, but we fell behind. These are details we'll have to put right for our other games," said William Robeyns.

[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]