Yacine Diop Dominates CNSS as APR Powers into WBLA Knockout Stages

Yacine Diop Dominates CNSS as APR Powers into WBLA Knockout Stages

The Rwanda-based APR Women's Basketball Club stormed into the Women's Basketball League Africa 2025 knockout rounds with a resounding 89-66 victory over CNSS of the DR Congo this evening in Cairo. The win was orchestrated by a solid performance from Senegalese forward Yacine Diop, who was enough to secure a second-place group finish for the Rwandan side behind ASC Ville de Dakar of Senegal, with a 2-1 record.

Diop was simply unplayable in the matchup, dominating at both ends of the court, pouring in a game-high 24 points and controlling the glass with 11 rebounds, imposing her strong presence throughout. She was ably supported by the dynamic Kierstan Bell, who added 18 points and eight rebounds, forming a formidable one-two punch that CNSS struggled to contain, amongst other notable performances for the Rwandans on the night. For CNSS, Ketia Mbelu was the top performer with 18 points, three rebounds and four assists in the losing effort.

Despite the early firepower from APR's stars that saw them go on an 8-0 After Mbelu scored a shot from behind the arc, CNSS showcased their resilience, especially after the slow start left it trailing by 10 points at the end of the first quarter. The DRC side found their footing, spearheaded by guard Mbelu, as they brilliantly won the second period 22-16, slicing APR's lead to just four points at halftime, 36-32.

APR then showed why they are one of the class teams in Egypt with a commanding, brilliant response in the second half, keeping their composure after Coach Mutesi's halftime adjustments and executing them flawlessly.

They systematically shut down CNSS's path to the basket much more effectively in the second half, turning defensive stops into transition opportunities, but had to settle for a tight third quarter in which they won by four points, 26-22. The fourth-quarter onslaught was inevitable as their superior conditioning showed through a decisive 27-12 run to close out the game.

While the individual brilliance of Diop and Bell provided the offensive foundation, the game was ultimately decided by APR's collective defensive pressure as they converted APR's turnovers into a crucial 23 points, a significant nine-point advantage in that category.

This defensive scoring blunted CNSS's own strengths, notably their effort on the offensive glass, where they secured 10 second-chance points, eventually scored more points from the paint (38) compared to APR's 34 points, and they even had more players contribute from the bench with 24 points, despite the loss, as the APR bench could contribute 14 points. 

With momentum firmly on their side, APR now advances with serious credentials as a team that can rely on star players to deliver in big moments, while also executing a disruptive, team-wide defensive system that presents a multifaceted challenge for any opponent. They will await their quarter-final matchup with confidence, having proven they can win a hard-fought, physical battle.

For CNSS, despite the loss, which left them with a record of 0-3, they managed to secure one of the quarter-final spots as one of the best losing teams, ahead of Nigeria's First Bank, and the performance of players like Mbelu offers some positives they can build on going forward.

The top performer of the game Diop spoke to AfricaBasket afterwards and she shared her thoughts on the game,

"We struggled at first and we know that we could play a lot better, just like what you saw us do in the fourth quarter but I am glad that we were able to talk to ourselves at halftime when we noticed that we made a lot of mistakes in the second quarter and we said that we have to play really well to win this game which was what we did."

She also talked about the chances of her team going forward in the competition in Egypt and insists that their play must improve if they are win the championship,

"We cannot afford to play like this again in this competition because we know it becomes tougher from this point forward, we just talked about it in the locker room and we must be very careful and ensure that what happens today does not repeat itself especially against a tougher opposition."