Sandra Nelly Nsanzabaganwa delivered a stellar all-around performance to power Kepler Women Basketball Club past APR 70–63 in Game 2 of the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) Playoffs semifinals, putting her team just one win away from their first-ever Finals appearance.
The former APR point guard and current Kepler captain scored 20 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and made 3 steals at Petit Stade on August 14, finishing as the most efficient player in Game 2 of the RBL semifinals.
Nsanzabaganwa played 38 minutes, shooting 7-of-12 from the field, and led a Kepler side that received no scoring from its bench.
With head coach Luis Lopez Hernandez relying heavily on his starters, Kepler leaned on their frontcourt duo—Young Desi-Rae Yvonne (18 points, 13 rebounds) and Aichata Traore (8 points, 15 rebounds)—to dominate the boards and control the paint.
Kepler outrebounded APR 49–46 and outscored them 46–26 inside.
APR’s Philoxy Destiney poured in a game-high 29 points, but her effort wasn’t enough to save Charles Mushumba’s side from falling into a 0–2 hole in the best-of-five series. Nsanzabaganwa led by example, posting a game-best efficiency rating of 23.
In the other semifinal, defending champions REG WBBC hold a 2–0 lead over Hoops.
Game 3 of the Kepler–APR series is set for Friday. A Kepler win would seal their first-ever trip to the Finals.
