Mozambique made a strong start to their 2025 Women’s AfroBasket journey with a 72-55 win over Rwanda on Sunday in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The result leaves Rwanda winless after two games, while Mozambique celebrated their first victory of the tournament.
Rwanda were hoping to bounce back after a tough opening loss, but Mozambique quickly showed they meant business.
After Rwanda’s Destiney Philoxy scored the first basket, Mozambique responded with a 5–0 run and never looked back. The Southern African side led by as many as 14 points in the first half and finished the game 17 points ahead.
Carla Covane led the charge for Mozambique with 15 points and nine rebounds, playing nearly the whole game. She was well supported by Leia Dongue, who also came close to a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Ingvild Mucauro added 11 points in a solid team effort.
“The key was our team spirit,” said Covane. “We didn’t rely on one or two players. Everyone contributed, and that made the difference.”
Mozambique dominated the rebounds (46–37) and shared the ball well with 20 assists. Although Rwanda showed some fight, including an 11–0 scoring run, they couldn’t keep up in the final quarter. Mozambique scored 19 late points to seal the win.
For Rwanda, it was another frustrating night. Star forward Bella Murekatete has yet to find her rhythm in the tournament. She fouled out in the third quarter after scoring just seven points, the same as her average in the two games played so far.
With this result, Mozambique finish Group D with a strong performance, while Rwanda drop to 0–2 and can no longer qualify ahead of Nigeria or Mozambique.
Coach Cheikh Sarr’s team will now look to regroup in the Classification Round, where they will face the second-place team from Group C (Senegal, Uganda, or Guinea).
Despite the loss, Rwanda still has a chance to end the tournament on a positive note.
“We had some mistakes,” Covane admitted, “but we’ll improve. What matters most is that we stay united as a team.”
Next Game: Mozambique will face defending champions Nigeria, while Rwanda wait to learn their next opponent in the Classification Round.
