Côte d’Ivoire crushed hosts Rwanda 97-38 in the FIBA U16 AfroBasket 2025 quarterfinals, advancing to their first-ever semifinal. Minty Jean-Philippe Dylan starred with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while five Ivorians scored double digits in the dominant Last Eight performance.
Last Updated on
September 13, 2025
Cote d'Ivoire U16 AfroBasket side were a cut above opponents and hosts Rwanda at the ongoing continental showpiece, winning their quarterfinal clash 97-38 to advance. Rwanda, who came into the clash as underdogs after qualifying as one of the best third-place finishers, had nothing on the unbeaten Cote d'Ivoire, a side they had lost 72-47 in the group phase.
The hosts put up a fight, momentarily, in the opening quarter, coming from an 11-point deficit (16-5) to trail by seven (19-12) in the opening quarter. That, however, was all the resistance the hosts would show as they were restricted to ten and under in the remaining three quarters.
Minty Jean-Philippe Dylan led the charge for the Ivorians, dropping a double-double of 21 points, having shot 9-for-14 inside, adding three more on the free throw line to emerge as the side's top scorer.
His efforts were complemented by Irene Raphael Ouédraogo, who also registered a similar feat, scoring 10 while pulling 15 rebounds. Owo Paul Emmanuel Adja was the second-best scorer for the West Africans, coming off the bench to score 19 points in a match where five of the side's players hit double digits in points.
Antoine Mohamed Konan got action underway in the opening quarter as the Ivorians raced to an 8-2 lead, Omar Mangassouba's shot from deep making it 11-5 halfway through the quarter, sending early dominance signals.
Elouan Kayihura's jump shot in the opening minute of the second quarter and a three with 4:32 to play were the only baskets the Rwandese side would manage in the second quarter. Quintus Sugarman added two points from the charity stripe in a 29-7 domination, where Dylan Oka scored 14.
A 29-point advantage heading to the halftime break would have had most of the teams in this championship assured of victory, but Côte d'Ivoire were leaving nothing to chance. The side went on a 7-0 run upon resumption to lead by 36 (56-19), playing for an 18-9 quarter to lead 66-28 at the start of the final stanza.
Rwanda's woes continued in the final stanza as they quickly conceded nine points, all due to their team's errors that Côte d'Ivoire capitalised on. Mbayiha Kayle Mukono's back-to-back threes were all the offensive contribution Rwanda managed in the opening five minutes of the last stanza, Divin Mugisha adding one more down the stretch for a 31-10 outcome that sealed the massive victory for the Ivorians.
With this victory, Côte d'Ivoire have already improved on their 2023 sixth-place finish and are set to feature in the Last Four for the first time. Their best finish in four appearances had been fifth, back in 2021. They now train their guns on Egypt, which beat Angola 69-51 in another quarter final. Rwanda, meanwhile, play for a seventh-place finish against Angola on Saturday.
[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]
