U16 AfroBasket Women: Egypt Records Biggest Win Against Kenya in Kigali

Egypt Records Biggest Win Against Kenya in Kigali

Egypt guard Dana Abdalaa posted 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds. At the same time, she was backed by Leila Eissa, who finished the game with 17 points, including an efficient 4-of-7 from the three-point range, with the bench also making a significant contribution of 43 points, as against Kenya's 2 points from the bench.

The Pharaohs also dominated the paint as expected, scoring 54 points. In comparison, Kenya managed only 18 points in the paint. Another important stat for the Egyptians in the victory was their ability to score 47 points off turnovers, compared to Kenya's 11 points off turnovers.

For Kenya, forward Brenda Akinyi was the only player who managed to reach double figures on her team as she registered 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the hard loss.

The one-sided affair got off to a bright start from the Egyptians, who made their intentions clear from the outset as they went on an 11-0 run in the opening quarter with Kenya struggling to keep up with the pace on both ends of the court and with Egypt increasing its intensity as they closed out the first quarter 21-5. 

Kenya tried to close up on points when they posted 5 points in the second quarter after the Egyptians had opened up with a layup finish. Trixy Ochieng posted two, and Brenda Ochieng added another with a brilliant shot from behind the arc to reach the 10-point mark almost midway into the second quarter. Still, Egypt did not let up as they closed out the halftime score at 41-14.

The second half resumed with Kenya needing a complete collapse of the North Africans to stand any chance of a realistic comeback, but that was not the case, even as the Kenyans managed to reach the 20-point mark late in the third quarter, but with the quarter ending at 63-21. The fourth quarter didn't see any changes in approach as Egypt continued with their relentless pace, and they eventually ran out with a 29-8 win in the final quarter to secure the biggest victory of the tournament so far.

Kenya will be hoping to regroup when they play their last group game against Cameroon, with the Lionesses needing a win to boost their chances of making it to the next round, while Egypt will be hoping to consolidate on today's victory with a date against North African neighbours Morocco.

[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]