ZANZIBAR (Tanzania) - The Group Phase action at the Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA) Zone 5 Qualifiers is one match away from conclusion and all eyes are on who makes the quarter's.
The final match set for Wednesday pits JKL Lady Dolphins of Uganda against Egypt's Al Ahly Sporting Club.
Five matches were played on Tuesday, determining the standings in Groups B and C ahead of the quarters.
Here's how things panned out:
Equity bounce back to improve quarter's chances
Equity Hawks improved their chances of reaching the Last Eight with an 87-48 victory over Fox Divas of Tanzania to finish the group phase on 2-1, for second place in Group C.
The Kenyans started shaky, but only for five minutes as they settled in to go on a 22-point run for 33-22 up as the opening quarter concluded.
Judith Pantaleo did most of the damage to Fox Divas in the first half, dropping 15 of her 19 points to lead Equity to a 49-36 as skipper Betty Kananu who finished as the second-best scorer for Benson Oluoch's charges sinking 11 of her 16 in the half as well.
An 18-14 show for the Kenyan champions in the second quarter, gave them a 13-point advantage heading to the break.
It is in the second half, however, where Equity did everything right going ahead 20-7 having restricted the Tanzanians to just three in the final five minutes of the period for 69-43. A final quarter 18-05 show in the final stanza sealed the victory.
Fox Diva's captain Jescal Julius and Assetou Traore combined for 30 points the former scoring 8 more than her teammate as Equity dominated on all fronts, 58-16 points on the paint, 21-5 from turnovers and 29-10 contributions from the bench.
REG continue unbeaten run to top Group C
Burundi's Gladiators had nothing on Julian Martinez's Rwanda Energy Group (REG) as they went down 86-34, the latter picking their third consecutive win to remain undefeated in the Group Phase.
A 20-2 early lead was all the indication anyone needed to confirm that this would be a lopsided encounter, as the reigning silver medalists dominated in quarters of 30-6, 18-16, 22-4 and 16-8 for the 52-point win.
Victoria Reynolds, Destiney Promise Philoxy and Kristina Morgan King put up the numbers for REG, Reynolds top scoring with 16, adding 5 rebounds and 2 assists in the win. Philoxy, who was the top scorer in the side's win over Equity on day two had 15, coming two assists short of a double-double while the latter led the side's rebounding with 10 for a double-double as she added 11 points.
Meanwhile, Francine Mukendi Tshimanga continued to be impressive for Gladiators, scoring half of her side's points for a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds as her side finished with a 1-2 ratio in the group phase.
APR dominate Hawassa City to remain perfect
Italee Lucas' triple-double was the highlight of the one-sided encounter between Rwandese champions APR and Hawassa City that the former won 123-38 to finish top of the three-team Group B.
She sunk 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds for a game-high 29 on efficiency, which would have been much higher had she not turned the ball over 8 times as well.
Shaina Pellington and and Kamba Diakite top scored for APR, who are chasing a maiden appearance in the women’s continental competition since it rebranded, with 25 and 21 respectively as three other players managed double digits for the victory.
Meanwhile, only five players from the Ethiopian side got points with skipper Kuku Eshetu leading by example with 12 as Lidiya Uduru added 11. As expected, APR dominated on all fronts for the 85-point win.
Al Ahly Sporting Club too strong for Burundi's Young Sisters
Egyptian champions Al Ahly Sporting picked yet another century win, this time against Burundi's Young Sisters in a 134-35, a new record win in the Zone 5 Qualifiers. Their opening match against Vijana Queens ended 145-52 to surpass KPA's biggest win of 92 by one point. They made it 99 against the Josue Ndimugakiza-coached side.
Tarek Abouzeid's side played for 39-9, 33-7, 28-15 and 34-4 for the win.
Raneem Elgedawy led the scoring with 19 with Yara Hussein and Jayda Almasry adding 15 a piece as eight players hit double digits.
They play the last match of the Group Phase against Uganda's JKL Lady Dolphins to determine who tops the Group A charts.
JKL Lady Dolphins continue winning streak
After stunning Burundi's Young Sisters 91-54 with just five players in their opening match, JKL Lady Dolphins did it again, this time against home side Vijana Queens for a 87-55 victory.
JKL had added four more players to their roster and were the better side from the get go, taking the opening quarter 21-14, an early statement for what was to come.
The Flavia Oketcho captained side shut down Vijana in the second quarter with a 25-6 performance to head to the locker rooms on a 26-point lead (46-20). The advantage proved crucial as Vijana took the third quarter 21-15, cutting their deficit to 20 but JKL returned for the final period charged for 26-14 to seal their second victory.
Keren Becky Longom was the star of the show bagging a double-double with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Rita Imanishimwe and Brenda Ekone added 15 and 14 points respectively for the win.
Boke Juma and Taudencia Oluoch were the top scorers for Vijana with 15 and 14 points respectively.
FIBA