CAIRO (Egypt) - On a night when two teams booked their places in Saturday's Women's AfroBasket Zone Five Qualifiers Final, some stars shone bright.
Egypt defeated South Sudan 85-64, while Uganda overcame a slow start to beat Burundi 66-30.
In this feature, we look at the players who shone in Thursday's two games.
Meral Abdelgawad (Egypt)
When the Pharaoh's went in search of a saviour, Meral answered the call, scoring 19 in just under 28 minutes, adding four assists, three rebounds and as many steals to finish as the side's second best scorer, tied with Hala Elshaarawy. The duo finished with 22 in efficiency rating.
Meral combined with Raneem Elgedawy for 17 of Egypt's 25 points in the second quarter, as the hosts came back from a 20-19 South Sudan show in the opening quarter for a 25-16 that gave them back control of the match.
Raneem Elgedawy (Egypt)
Despite registering a team-high 7 turnovers, the forward made up with a double-double, the only one in the match, dropping 20 points and 13 rebounds. She added and assist and two steals for 17 in efficiency rating.
She struggled to score in the opening quarter, managing four off the charity stripe but was a different beast in the second, combining with Meral to pull the defending champions away for the victory that puts them in Saturday's Final.
Melissa Akullu (Uganda)
Portugal-based Akullu shot 5-of-7 on the paint, adding two points from the free throw line in three attempts for 12 points in Uganda's win over Burundi.
Never once attempting to shoot from range, her dominance on the boards was also on display, pulling down a team-high seven while adding two assists, a steal and a block for 17 in efficiency rating.
Eight of her 12 points came in the second quarter as Uganda mounted a comeback after Burundi took the lead in the opening quarter at 17-14. She scored three consecutive layups to take the lead at 20-17, effectively getting Nicholas Natuhereza's charges back on the driver's seat.
FIBA