Rwanda’s women basketball powerhouse APR BBC have failed to impress on their debut to the FIBA Africa Women's Champions Cup as they continue to struggle for results due to squad shortage. The military side was at the last minute dealt a huge blow three players Odile Tetero, Kantore Sandra and Ebenzo Isomi found themselves not eligible to feature in the club’s squad for the tournament. The club squad was reduced to nine players and the team got no chance to replace them. The players had been registered for REG BBC Club that competed for FIBA Africa Champion Cup for Women 2022 – Preliminary Round. It was never good news for head coach Charles Mbazumutima who admits traveling to Mozambique with a limited squad of good but inexperienced players would help the team get nothing but pick lessons from elite teams participating at the tournament. We have a good team, but the problem is I have nine players available to me, which put us in a bad situation since the tournament started. We could play the first two quarters but we were already tired in the third quarter, Mbazumutima said, reflecting on the club’s last two defeats against Ferroviário de Maputo and Alexandria Sporting Club. It's our first time playing at this level, and I think we did well. It is a learning experience for our team, and if we get another opportunity to come back, we will know what to expect, he added. APR’s women showed character and fighting spirit but the club’s depth in squad was always a nuisance to them whenever they pushed for a result. The club, for instance, frustrated Egypt's Alexandria Sporting Club as they went head to head on Sunday at the Pavilhao da Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo. The two teams were toe to toe during the first three quarters as the likes of Assouma Uwizeye, Martine Umuhoza and Odette Umuhoza did everything they could to turn things around for the military side in their push to register their first victory of the campaign. But their efforts were futile as the Egyptians eventually won the game 89-68. Umuhoza praised her teammates' effort, but she highlighted team fatigue as the major cause of the defeat with the club having a thin squad in its ranks. In the fourth quarter, we did well, but we couldn’t defend because we were tired. We did try our best to stop them but their experience was the difference, said the 26-year-old. APR take on Senegalese club ASC Ville de Dakar in their final group game on Tuesday, December 13, as they seek to finish the campaign with at least a win
