Sunday REG 76-78 Al Ahly Rwanda Energy Group (REG) basketball team on Sunday lost to Al Ahly of Egypt in the last encounter in Group C, ahead of the FIBA Africa Basketball League (AfroLeague). After the win, hosts Al Ahly became the second club to advance to the ELITE 8 knock out stage after narrowly beating REG 78-76. The Egypt champions put up a spirited fight in the last quarter after trailing for most of the encounter, which saw the elimination of the Rwandan side. Down by five (76-71), Al Ahly earned 7 points in the last 02:40 during which the Rwandan side did not score any point. With two minutes left, Ramy Gunady netted a three-pointer that inspired the Cairo-based club to an astonishing comeback. REG shooting guard Kenneth Gasana led all scorers with 29 points and 6 rebounds, Kami Kabange contributed 18 points but a number of unnecessary fouls in the last minutes of the game proved costly for REG, who closed their Group C campaign with a 1-2 mark. On Saturday, Angolan champions Primeiro DAgosto had beaten REG 70-64 which earned them two wins from the group stage. In the opening game last Friday, the Rwandan representatives had defeated Ferroviario da Beira 86-77 to launch a bright start which was squandered in their third encounter against Al Ahly. With the win, Al Ahly finish in second place of the group joining Primeiro DAgosto in the knock out stage of the competition where teams will play home and away games in an attempt to reach the Final-Four due in May. The four winners from Elite 8 will advance to the Final four to be played from May 3-5, 2019. GROUP C final standings: 1. Primeiro DAgosto (3-0) 2. Al Ahly (2-1) 3. Rwanda Energy Group (1-2) 4. Ferroviario da Beira (0-3). editorial@newtimes.co.rw
