Group C

Rwanda 63 -89 Guinea

Guinea continued their remarkable run in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers with an emphatic 89-63 victory over Rwanda on Thursday at Arena Kilamba in Luanda, sealing their place in the second round of the qualification campaign.

The win was Guinea's fourth consecutive in the qualifiers and marked a historic milestone. The West Africans have now won more games (four) in the current campaign than they managed across the previous two World Cup qualifying cycles combined, where they posted a 3-15 record in the 2019 and 2023 editions.

Veteran Abdoulaye Sy, the most-capped player in the current Guinean squad, opened the scoring in Window 3 with a fadeaway jumper, igniting a 7-0 run that set the tone for the contest.

Rwanda found themselves trailing by 15 points after the opening quarter but responded strongly in the second period. Herve Hodari knocked down his side's seventh three-pointer from 15 attempts to hand Rwanda a 37-36 lead, forcing Guinea head coach Nedeljko Asceric to call a timeout.

However, Guinea quickly regained control and never looked back.

Souleymane Boum Jr, Ousmane Drame and Sekou Doumbouya combined for 47 points to power Guinea to victory, while Justin Uwitonze led Rwanda with 17 points.

Sy credited Guinea's historic qualification to the team's patience, perseverance and winning mentality.

Guinea coach Asceric praised Rwanda despite the convincing scoreline.

"That's how difficult this Rwandan team is to play against," he said after the game.

Asceric has played a key role in Guinea's resurgence, guiding the nation to one of its most successful qualification campaigns in recent years.

Rwanda, meanwhile, have now lost four consecutive qualifying games and will look to revive their campaign when they face Tunisia on Friday, July 3.