MondayMozambique  70-67  RwandaRwanda national basketball team lost their first game against host Mozambique in the Mozambique 38th independence anniversary tournament 70-67 on Monday night.Only two teams are taking part after Angola withdrew at the last minute. South Africa were the first invited nation to pull out.Rwanda started well and led 34-27 at half time but the hosts Mozambique bounced back in the third and fourth quarters scoring a combined 43 points against Rwanda’s 33 points in the second half.By the press time, the teams were due to play the second game before the third and last of best of three series on Wednesday afternoon. Both teams are using the tournament to prepare for this year’s 27th African basketball championships scheduled for August 20-31 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Rwanda has played in the Afro-basketball three times (2007, 2009 and 2011), while Mozambique have been played in the tournament nine times from 1999.Meanwhile, the basketball league started at the weekend with only one game between United Generation and 30-Plus, which the former won 53-38. The league will continue at the weekend when the national team returns from Mozambique.