ZANZIBAR (Tanzania) - Day two of the Women's Basketball League-Africa (WBL-Africa) Zone 5 Qualifiers offered exciting match-ups as teams continued the chase for knockout places.
Five matches were on show, giving the fans at the Amaan Indoor Sports Hall some edge-of-the-seat action as competition gets tougher after opening day jitters.
Here is how they unfolded:
JKL Lady Dolphins stun Young Sisters
Starting the match without a bench and substitutes is probably a recipe for disaster for any team, but Uganda's JKL Lady Dolphins proved otherwise as they thrashed Burundi's Young Sisters 91-54 under such circumstances.
Home to Uganda's basketball sensation and team captain Flavia Oketcho, JKL just needed five minutes to settle, leading 10-8 before going hard for 24-16 at the end of the first quarter.
A 34-12 second quarter saw the Ugandan champions head to the half-time break leading by 30 points, an advantage that put the match out of the Burundians' reach. A 20-13 and 13-13 second half gave JKL their opening win in the 11-team competition.
Evelyne Nikiyingi scored 27 for the Ugandans, Hope Akello added 25, Brenda Ekone 18, skipper Oketcho 14 and Rita Imanishimwe added seven. Ines Kanyamuneza was the only player to hit double digits on points with 10 for the Burundi side.
REG remain perfect in win over Equity
Reigning Zone 5 silver medalists Rwanda Energy Group (REG) made it 2-0 with an 86-73 victory over Kenya's Equity Bank Hawks, the latter's turnovers hurting their chances for redemption on numerous occasions.
REG played a perfect first quarter, restricting the Benson Oluoch-coached Bankers to only four points in the last five minutes of the period for 25-14, the difference becoming the Kenyan side's Achilles heel as they went on to lose by 13.
A 25-21 second quarter saw REG lead by 15 in the first half. The Kenyans were the better side in the third stanza, going ahead 22-18 to make it an 11-point game but an 18-16 final quarter the Julian Martinez-led side handed them back-to-back wins. Destiney Promise Philoxy led the charge for REG on 18 points and four assists with Victoria Reynolds adding 16 points to the tally.
Despite dominating the paint for 60-46, Equity were punished on turnovers, the Rwandese side scoring 20 off the bankers' 18 turnovers.
Gladiators bounce back with solid show over Fox Divas
In a match that had 14 lead changes and six ties, Burundi's Gladiators held their own against home side Fox Divas to pick a 77-67 win for 1-1 while subjecting the latter to their second defeat in as many matches.
Nelly Sandra Nsanzabaganwa, who was good for 6-of-8 from behind the arc, Naomie Muco and Francine Mukendi combined for 58 of Gladiators final score on 26, 17 and 16 respectively. The side dominated the paint for 40-24 with their bench also contributing more (28-16) for the win.
It was a dog fight for three quarters, Gladiators taking the first 18-15, the second ending 20-20 with Fox Divas winning the third 22-19 to tie the score at 57. Arsène Mfuranzima's side went hum on Fox Divas in the final period, outscoring the side 20-10 for victory.
APR rain treys on KPA for opening win
Regional defending champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) had no reply for Charles Mushumba's three-point machines Italee Lucas, Shaina Pellington and Kamba Diakite who were good for 13-of-23 from behind the arc as APR took a 96-76 opening win.
KPA started strong, going 7-2 ahead but their joy was short-lived as APR took the lead at 12-9, going on to lead 26-19 in the first period. KPA went on a 13-7 run in the opening five minutes of the second period to come to within a point of APR but the latter's treys continued to the holders who trailed 43-40 heading to the break.
A 26-17 run for APR in the third stanza put them 12 points ahead as they went on to kill the game with a massive 27-19 show in the final quarter for the win.
Diakite dropped four treys to lead the scoring with 27, five more than Lucas who had six three pointers. Pellington who made three treys ended the game with a double-double on 21 points and 11 rebounds, Chanel Mokanga added a double-double of 10 points and as many rebounds.
Al Ahly Sporting Club make light work of Vijana Queens
Tarek Abouzeid's Al Ahly Sporting Club got little resistance from home side Vijana Queens, as they opened their competition with a commanding 145-52 victory.
It was Al Ahly's game from the get go as they dominated in quarters of 28-12, 34-12, 50-13 and 33-15 leaving no room for speculation. Nadine Mohamed, Meral Abdelgawad and Raneem Elgedawy scored 35, 26 and 23 to lead the onslaught as Reem Moussa led the assist charts with 14 in the win.
The 93-point win is the biggest registered so far, surpassing KPA's 128-36 victory over Ethiopia’s Hawassa City.
FIBA