CAIRO (Egypt) - South Sudan beat Kenya for the second consecutive time in the 2025 Women's AfroBasket Qualifiers to finish third in the five-team competition at the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo.
A dominant first half for Alberto Carlos' South Sudan side saw them run out 80-63 winners despite coming under pressure in the second quarter.
The win moved them to 3-2 on the year, while Kenya, the 2021 regional champions of the same qualifiers and former African silver medallists, finished fourth with a win over Burundi.
Turning point: With the Kenyans trailing by 19 points in the first period, Christine Akinyi and Jemimah Omondi hit nine treys in the first two minutes of the second period to make it 32-22.
Victoria Reynolds brought Mayienga's charges to within 44-38 with 35 seconds left in the half, but Adut Bulgak's buzzer-beating three made it a nine-point game going into the second half. An 18-12 run in the third and a 15-13 final sealed the victory.
Game Hero: Rose Macuei had probably one of her greatest performances yet, dropping a massive double-double on 18 points and 19 rebounds for a game-high 30 in efficiency rating. She added two assists and as many steals to the show.
Delicia Washington, Nyamuoch Pidor Teny and Adut Bulgak were also a joy to watch, scoring 25, 18 and 12, the latter completing a double-double with 11 rebounds.
Stats Don’t Lie: Going behind 19 points in the opening quarter did Kenya in as they played catch up the entire match after an unimpressive start, going on to lose by 17, the same margin they lost with, in the group phase clash.
South Sudan out-rebounding Kenya 56-41 resulted in a 25-8 show on second chance points in a clash that the two sides tied on points on the paint, 26, and off turnovers, 19. The Kenyan bench was more dominant, contributing 21 against 3.
Bottom Line: The improvement for South Sudan since their 2021 debut in Kigali, Rwanda is evident as they went winless but have since improved to one win in 2023 against Rwanda and three in 2025 for bronze.
Kenya, on their part, miss the African competition yet again, dropping from third in the Qualifiers in 2023 to fourth.
This report continues to be updated.
FIBA