Kenya Lionesses booked their ticket to FIBA Africa Women's Championships in Cameroon when they beat Egypt 99-83 in the Fiba Africa Zone Five qualifiers final played in Kigali, Rwanda on Saturday.
The Lionesses, who made it to the final by outplaying hosts Rwanda 79-58 on Friday, took the game by the horn and played their hearts out.
They took a lead they did not relinquish to the end and took care of the Egyptians, who had rallied from 25 points down to win 107-106 in their preliminary round encounter.
"We had a shaky start but adjusted after scouting came up strong," said Victoria Reynolds, who was named the event’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Assistant coach Mike Opel said: "We played well against Egypt, who have been a thorn in our flesh for years. We were persistent and never gave up. "
Kenya led 29-24 in the first quarter and went to the break holding a 50-42 advantage. In the third quarter the scores stood at 77-69 and the game was theirs to lose.
The Kenyan back court trio of Melissa Akinyi, Natalie Akinyi and Reynolds stood tall. They played their hearts out in the win.
At the front court, Mercy Wanyama and Felmas Koranga were unstoppable on the paint. Koranga bagged the Best Power Forward award.
Going to the final, Lionesses had lost two games in the preliminary rounds, going down 77-45 to hosts Rwanda to add to the 107-106 heartbreak they suffered against the Egyptians.
