Sunday Quarterfinals REG 85-54 Université de Douala East African rivals Rwanda Energy Group (REG) Women’s Basketball Club and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) will again face off in the semifinals of the FIBA African Women Basketball League (AWBL) on Monday, December 18. The pair are up for a rematch of the Zone V qualifier in Kigali during which KPA emerged victorious after beating REG 87-53 in the final despite the fact that the latter was playing at home. REG have been unstoppable so far in the competition, firmly storming into the semifinals with a 5-0 winning record, including Sunday’s 85-54 thumping of Cameroon’s Université de Douala. ALSO READ: AWBL: Unstoppable REG confident of title glory Douala began the game well as Larissa Mbong scored their first five points for a 5-2 lead before Marie Ndoumbe extended the advantage to 8-4. However, REG didn't take long to get to the rhythm before taking the lead and eventually winning the first half 51-21. Tiffany Mitchell, Destiney Promise Philoxy and Nia Clouden combined for 58 of the 85 points that REG scored to win the game. During the one-sided encounter with Université de Douala, every single REG player spent five minutes or more on the floor, a reflection of how coach Mukaneza managed her team. ALSO READ: WNBA star Nia Clouden reveals prospect of playing for Rwanda No matter how we rotated the team, the win, which qualified us to the semis, was the most important thing, Mukaneza admitted in a post-game presser. Regardless of the score we are happy to have move on and won the game, the former Rwandan international player noted. Sensing how detrimental Mbong could have been, REG kept her scoreless for the remainder of the game as the 33-year-old signed out with just five points. Cynthia Williams Amayaba, the only Université de Douala player to score in double digits, finished with 12 points off the bench. We lacked concentration when we needed to handle the ball. We need to adjust, Mbong explained the reason behind her team's 21 turnovers. Debutants in African competitions, high-flying REG will face the winner of the quarter-Finals clash between Equity Bank Hawks and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), both of whom they faced in the regional qualifier last month. Those are two good teams. I have no preference, said REG star Betty Kalanga who contributed 10 points and 7 rebounds in Sunday’s victory. ALSO READ: REG coach eyes podium finish at Africa Women's Basketball League The game was so unbalanced that REG led by as many 40 points at some point, prompting Mukaneza to rest her starting line-up for long minutes, maybe, thinking about their semis match-up against a familiar foe. The Rwanda side remains winless in their last two meetings with KPA, having twice fallen short at the hands of the Kenyans, first losing 42-72 in the group stages of the Zone V qualifiers before again suffering an 87-53 defeat in the final of the same competition. Now facing off in the semifinals of AWBL, a rejuvenated REG will be aiming for a revenge or surrender a third loss in row.
