Kenya were humiliated 77-45 by Rwanda in their opening FIBA Africa Women's Zone Five Qualifier in Kigali.
Kenya got off to a bright start, taking a 7-2 lead on efforts from Mercy Wanyama before the Rwandese turned on the heat, breaking off for a 23-18 first quarter advantage.
In the second stanza, it was the homegirls who dictated the tempo, keeping the Kenyans at bay by piling on the pressure mostly on crisp perimeter shooting.
They rained in points from outside taking a 33-28 lead before a basket by Felmas Koranga saw Kenya close in 33-30 as the two sides went to the break.
It was the same story after the intermission. As Kenya struggled for rhythm, Rwanda piled on the points, racing up 51-32 from the line with 2:47 minutes left in the quarter.
A time out by George Mayienga to fix the problem backfired as Rwanda sunk a three-pointer followed by two baskets for a 58-32 cushion as the quarter ended.
A confident Rwanda scored on the rebound for 60-32 and controlled the game. Wanyama nailed two foul shots and a layup by rose Ouma saw Kenya cut the lead to 62-38.
With 2:02 minutes to play, Rwanda rolled to a 70-45 on two free throws as a dejected Kenya offered nothing. A three-pointer and a basket saw the scores swell to 75-45.
Assistant coach Mike Opel said the team did not play defence and lacked execution. "We will have to work on our game plan going into our coming games."
Captain Rose Ouma said, "We rushed our offense and we did not execute as good as we should have and in the process committed a turnover."
Kenya will take on South Sudan who made their debut in the regional show, losing 95-65 to reigning champions Egypt in the opening fixture. The winners of this four-team show will proceed to Afro-Basket in Yaounde, Cameroon in September.
Fixtures:
Today:
Kenya v South Sudan
Rwanda v Egypt
.Tomorrow:
Kenya v Egypt
South Sudan v Rwanda
Thursday: Rest Ray
Friday: 1 v 4 and 2 v 3
Saturday
3rd/4th Play-offs and finals
