8 Nov 2019
KAMPALA (Uganda) - Uganda's men and women both remained undefeated at home on the opening day of the FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup 2019 in Kampala on November 8.
The women's team - who won bronze in 2017 - had a statement win in Pool A versus Burundi (21-9), with 13 points from 24-year-old Zainah Lokwameri. They will play their next 2 pool games on Saturday against Nigeria and Kenya, who faced off on Friday in the game of the day. Kenya had the lead going into the final minute but the Greens made an impossible comeback with African Games gold medalist Ifunanya Okoro in beast mode (13 points).
The men are already qualified for the quarter-finals after dominating Mauritius (21-5) and then upsetting African powerhouse Nigeria (15-14) in an unbelievable overtime game. Nigeria actually struggled to stamp their ticket to the quarter-finals, edging out Mauritius by one point (16-15). Sharpshooter Godwin David was the savior for Nigeria: he was second overall in scoring on Day 1 with 15 points.
The top scorer in the men's category was Madagascar sniper Elly Randriamampionona with 17 points in 2 games. He led the island to back-to-back wins against Burundi (21-7) and an absolute thriller decided in the last seconds versus the Democratic Republic of Congo (19-18). DR Congo qualified as well for the quarter-finals after beating Burundi 21-13.
In the women's division, the 2 top scorers could be found in Pool B (and on our list of the Top 10 players to watch!). 19-year-old prodigy Assetou Sissoko played a key role in Mali's perfect debut. She had 19 points combined in a 22-7 win against Botswana and a 22-8 beating of Egypt. For Egypt, Soraya Degheidy was unstoppable in a 21-11 win against Benin. She scored 16 of her 19 points on Day 1 in that game.
Day 2 will mark the entrance of some of the favorites in the men's category like Egypt and Mali while Uganda - Kenya will be one of the games to watch in the women's division.
Learn more about the pool standings, schedule and top scorers on the official website of the FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup 2019.