3x3 Africa Cup: Kenya's quarter final slots up for grabs as competition enters Day Two

Kenya men’s and women’s 3x3 basketball sides will on Saturday evening seek to book their tickets to the knock-out rounds of the 2023 FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup when they take the court for their decisive pool fixtures.

On Friday night, the two teams had contrasting starts to the 10-nation tournament also serving up as the 2024 Paris Olympic Qualifiers, in that while the women went unbeaten, the men lost both their games.

Zaddock Adika’s men were the first to the court Friday against Benin - losing out 18-16 - before narrowly falling 19-18 to Madagascar.

The women’s side, however, who were notably without their center Madina Okot, jumped to a 21-14 victory over Benin, in what was their only game following Nigeria’s walk-over.

The men’s side also benefited from an earlier walkover when Mali also dropped out of the competition.

KPA’s Natalie Akinyi was the top points scorer for Kenya with eight points - four two-pointers - while Mercy Wanyama had a game-high 15 rebounds in the Benin contest.

The result put Kenya (fourth seed in the tournament) top of Pool B with 21 points, and will face group opponents Morocco and Madagascar at 1725 and 2005 EAT respectively.

The men’s team’s permutations in Pool B are however in a tight situation, as they are fourth in the group with 34 points, and need to beat their sole opponents on Saturday - Morocco - to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

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The match will tip off at 1830 EAT.

Only the top three sides from every pool get a place in Sunday’s quarter-finals, with the top teams earning a direct spot in the semis.

Should Kenya finish the competition ranked top in the continent, they will get a place in the FIBA 3x3 Universality Olympic Qualifying Tournament, a route to next year’s summer games.