Kenya knocked out of FIBA U17 World Cup contention

National women's U16 basketball side lost their final Group C match 62-43 to Cameroon altogether miss out on the knockout stages at the ongoing FIBA Women's U16 AfroBasket championship, in Kigali, Rwanda. 

With the win, Cameroon secured the second quarter-final spot in the group, after Egypt who finished the preliminaries unbeaten, effectively denying Kenya a chance to fight for a podium place. 

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Additionally, with the tournament also serving as a qualifier for the FIBA U-17 Basketball World Cup, where the top two teams qualify, the debutants are out of contention. 

In an opening that saw the lead change hands several times, Kenya grabbed an early slim lead at 9-8. However, a 13-2 run spanning the end of the first quarter and the start of the second turned the tide as Cameroon built a 14-point lead (34-20) by half-time.

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Building on this momentum, Cameroon relied on their bench, who contributed 12 points in the second quarter and four more in the third, to maintain their lead. They continued to pile on the pressure despite Kenya's resistance for a 10–9 third quarter show. 

The margin was significant and, while Kenya fought back in the fourth quarter, they still trailed 18-14 for the loss that relegated them to the classification matches. 

Diane Aline Bienvenue came off the bench to lead the way for Cameroon with 15 points, shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and 6-of-8 inside. 

Alongside her, Marie Messina recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Shanice Mbaha and Anouchka Malebgue added 13 and 10 points respectively.

For Kenya, Rihanna Mercy Nyalando and Brenda Akinyi Ochieng stood out with 13 and 10 points respectively.

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