APR Basketball Club, representing Rwanda in the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL), suffered its third consecutive defeat on Saturday—this time in front of its home fans and His Excellency President Paul Kagame, who was present to watch the game.
The match, held on Saturday, was part of Day 5 of the Nile Conference. APR BBC faced off against Al Ahli Tripoli of Libya. Despite a strong start, APR couldn’t hold on in the final minutes and eventually lost 106 to 102.
APR BBC had reintroduced Aliou Diarra, who had been sidelined with an injury. He scored the first three points of the game. However, Al Ahli Tripoli quickly responded. By the end of the first quarter, the Libyan team had taken the lead with a score of 28–26.
In the second quarter, Al Ahli Tripoli’s Jaylen Adams dominated the game, scoring numerous points and helping his team extend the lead. Though Obadiah Noel and Ntore Habimana tried to keep APR in the game, the first half ended with APR trailing 53 to 49.
The third and fourth quarters further showcased Al Ahli Tripoli’s strength. Even though Axel Mpoyo helped narrow the gap late in the game, it wasn’t enough to avoid APR BBC’s third straight loss in this major continental tournament.
This match had drawn significant attention, especially because it was attended by top officials, including President Kagame.
In other matches that day, Nairobi City Thunder from Kenya defeated South Africa’s Made By Basketball with a score of 85 to 76, securing their first win of the tournament.
The BAL 2025 Nile Conference matches will conclude on Sunday. APR BBC will take on Nairobi City Thunder, while Al Ahli Tripoli will face Made By Basketball.
