Third place RSSB Tigers 62-97 Boca Juniors RSSB Tigers finished fourth at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup after suffering a 97-62 defeat to Boca Juniors in the third-place playoff on Sunday at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium. The Tigers became the first Rwandan team to compete at the tournament after winning the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) title. Their hopes of securing a podium finish were hampered by a lengthy absentee list. Coach Henry Mwinuka was without Craig Randall II, Teafale Lenard Jr, Nisre Zouzoua, Tyler Bey and Jonathan Galloway, who were ruled out as a precaution due to minor injuries. Johnny Hamilton was also unavailable despite travelling with the team to Beijing. With several key players missing, Boca Juniors controlled the game from the opening tip to the final buzzer. The Argentine side established a double-digit lead early in the second quarter and went into halftime 23 points ahead. Boca also shared the scoring load, with all 12 players getting on the scoresheet while the team recorded 15 assists in the first half. Francisco Caffaro was among Boca’s standout performers. The 26-year-old centre needed less than 15 minutes to score 12 points and grab four rebounds, adding to an impressive tournament in which he was named Most Valuable Player of the Basketball Champions League Americas Finals. Boca dominated the battle inside, finishing with a commanding 65-31 advantage in rebounds and 48-14 in points in the paint. The Argentine club had arrived in Beijing targeting the Intercontinental Cup title, as coach Nicolas Casalanguida said before the game, but ultimately settled for third place. The Tigers had also hoped to make history by reaching the final and challenging for the title in their first appearance at the competition. However, the absence of several key players made the task considerably more difficult. Boca Juniors finished third, with RSSB Tigers fourth. Beijing Royal Fighters placed fifth, ahead of bottom-placed Shanghai Sharks.
