Kenya’s Lionesses defeated hosts Uganda 61-53 in the second match as the Zone 5 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket qualifiers started on Tuesday in Kampala, Uganda.
Led by the experienced center Medina Okot, the Kenyan side took a 16-7 lead after the first quarter in a match played at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium.
Cheered on by the home fans, the Uganda Gazelles fought back strongly, but still failed to stop the rampant Kenyan team that kept attacking and taking their chances.
The Kenyan team came back to take a 34-25 lead at the break, but the Uganda Gazelles fought back strongly with Jackie Otto and Hope Akello finding their touch. The experienced Kenyan side however defended well and continued to take their chances on offense.
Mercy Wanyama and Christine Akinyi picked 15 and 14 points respectively leading Kenya to their opening win.
In the opening match Egypt stopped South Sudan 83-68. Raneem Elgedawy top scored for Egypt with a game high 23 points, while Nadine Mohamed Sayed also had 19 points. The South Sudan team had Adut Bulgak and Teny Nyamuoch score 16 points each.
“We are very happy to start the qualifiers with a win since this competition is played on a round robin basis. We hope to keep improving as the tournament gets on,” said Ehab Elalfy, the Egyptian head coach after the match.
The five nations battling for one single slot to book a place in the 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket include; Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, South Sudan and Rwanda. The qualifiers which started on Tuesday will climax on February 19th.
