Afrobasket U16 Men: Angola Stun Hosts Rwanda in Overtime Thriller on Opening Day

Angola Stun Hosts Rwanda in Overtime Thriller on Opening Day of 2025 FIBA U16 AfroBasket

Buoyed by their senior men's team winning the 2025 AfroBasket title just over a week ago, the visitors broke the hearts of their fiery hosts in overtime as they ran out 11-0 winners in that period.

Edilson Pedro delivered an outstanding performance for Angola, recording a game-high 24 points and 16 rebounds, while Rwanda's Kabenga finished with an appreciable effort of 16 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

The victory gives Angola a successful start to their tournament campaign, while Rwanda showed promise despite the narrow defeat. Both teams continue group play in the coming days.

The hosts had taken control of the game from the first quarter and were leading by 11-7 midway through the opening quarter, but Angola rallied back and also put in a decent shift in the second quarter, trailing by just a point when the game went into halftime at 34-33.

The game remained tightly contested throughout regulation, with Rwanda maintaining narrow leads after the first three quarters as the hosts appeared poised to secure an opening win. Manzi Enzo Kabenga drew a foul on a made layup in the closing seconds, earning a chance to win the game from the free-throw line, which he went on to miss, eventually forcing the game into overtime, with the scoreline tied at 56–56.

Rwanda will return to action on Saturday when they take on Sierra Leone, while Angola will go head-to-head against the Ivory Coast.

Twelve national teams from across the continent are competing in the 2025 edition of the FIBA U16 AfroBasket, with all eyes on Guinea, which pulled off a major upset to win the title in 2023.  Also, the two finalists will automatically qualify for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup next year in Turkey.

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[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]