The Kenya National Women’s Basketball Team, the Lioness, achieved their first victory in the FIBA AfroBasket qualifiers by defeating Burundi 87-53 in their third match at the Hassan Mostafa Arena in Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.
This win came after Kenya suffered defeats in their first two matches against Uganda and South Sudan on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
The Lioness started strong, clinching the first quarter 26-10. However, they faltered in the second quarter, allowing Burundi to narrow the gap with a 15-8 win. Kenya regrouped in the third quarter, outscoring their opponents 25-16, and sealed the match with a commanding 28-12 victory in the final quarter.
With this win, The Lioness now have four points and remains in contention for a spot in the finals reserved for the top two teams, but they will need favorable results from other pool matches in addition to winning their final group stage game.
Head Coach George Mayienga expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance after a challenging start to the tournament. “After yesterday’s game against South Sudan, we sat down as a team and discussed what we needed to improve. Today, the ladies executed their roles effectively, which brought us this victory,” Mayienga said.
Victoria Reynold was named Woman of the Match after scoring 22 points, along with three rebounds and seven assists. She shared her motivation for staying competitive despite the earlier losses: “As a team, we agreed that we had to leave Egypt with at least one win. We can’t travel all the way from Kenya without winning a single game,” Reynold stated.
Kenya will conclude their pool phase matches against Pool A leaders Egypt on Friday, February 7, 2025, at 19:00.
Results Fixtures:
- Kenya 78-56 Uganda
- Kenya 69-86 South Sudan
- Kenya 87-53 Burundi
- Kenya vs. Egypt, February 7, 2025, at 19:00
