FIBA Afrobasket Q: Lionesses topple Burundi to revive qualification hopes
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 05.02.25. | 18:55
The win puts them on four points, but will hope other group results go their way to stand a chance
Kenya registered the first win of the 2025 FIBA Women's Afrobasket Qualifiers after dominating sorry Burundi 87-53 in a match played at the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall, Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday.
The Lionesses came into the Zone 5 contest winless from their first two matches, and desperately needed victory to remain in contention for a valuable spot in Abidjan later this year.
A tie against bottom-placed Burundi, who were off a thrashing of their own from Egypt two days earlier, was just what the doctor ordered for George Mayienga's side as they came out guns-blazing to lead 21-4, before closing out the first quarter with a 26-10 advantage.
Burundi shot better in the second period - knocking down five field goals to Kenya's three - to cut the lead to eight with two minutes remaining.
Carrying a nine-point lead in the second half did bring its share of nervous moments for Kenya, who often coughed up the ball and allowed Burundi, with a crucial three from Sada Arcie Mushiranzigo with less than six minutes to play in the third, to close the gap to six points.
That run seemed to light a switch from the Kenyan side, as they went on to put up a 17-4 run of their own, which gave them a 13-point advantage going to the final quarter.
In hindsight, the entry of Vilma Awino was crucial to that run - and another domination in the fourth quarter - as she came up with big buckets on offense, while running back to provide cover on the defensive end.
In just 11 minutes, Awino notched 12 points and three rebounds, while converting five of her seven two-point field goals.
Her contribution, plus those of Victoria Reynolds - who finished with a game-high 22 points and seven assists, gave Kenya breathing space as they homed in on a 28-12 quarter to close out the rout.
Selina Akumu and point guard Natalie Akinyi added the gloss on the stat sheet with their 15 and 10 points respectively.
As it stands, Kenya, now with four points, still holds a chance to contest in the final reserved for the top two, but will have to hope for other pool results to go their way, on top of winning their final group tie against high-flying Egypt on Friday.
