The qualification process for Africa’s championship started this week in Zone 5. The reigning semifinalists Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, and Senegal qualified on merit and then Rwanda qualified as hosts. With countries divided into 7 zones, each remaining zone will have the chance to send one more team, but past editions have not always had full distribution of the slots so wildcard spots could also be available. Uganda is hosting this tournament of five teams and Rwanda will participate still so the best team other than them will clinch a spot. The teams will play a full round-robin over a five day period and then all but the last place team will play a game on the final day.
February 14
The tournament started with an intriguing matchup on Tuesday with South Sudan entering a team for the second time under the direction of a former WNBA player again, this time hiring Ebony Hoffman for this process. Adut Bulgak, who unfortunately had to miss the last tournament due to injury, had a good game, but Raneem Elgedaway led an Egypt team that has a number of experienced young pros to an 83-68 win. Hosts Uganda played in the next game, but fell to Madina Okot and Kenya 61-53.
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1402/South-Sudan-Egypt#tab=boxscore
South Sudan [68]: Bulgak 16/20r Teny 16 Tac 13 Macuei 7/9r Leime 6 Wol 6 Mayen 4 Angou DNP Dau DNP Lokuku DNP Gabriel DNP Riak DNP
Egypt [83]: Elgedawy 23/6s Soliman 19 Mohamed 12/6a Abdelgawad 8 Aly 7/8r Sherif 5 Hussein 5 Elsherif 3 Bakr 1 Ahmed 0 Moussa 0 Elgizawy 0
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1402/Uganda-Kenya#tab=boxscore
Uganda [53]: Otto 11/7r Akello 10/9r Ekone 10 Imanishimwe 8/7r Najjuma 6/9r Nakiyingi 5/6a Oketcho 3 Lamunu 0 Awor 0 Aber 0 Ageno 0 Nanvubya DNP
Kenya [61]: Wanyama 15/9r Akinyi 14/12r Okot 8/20r Otieno 7 Okumu 6 Mwangale 5 Reynolds 3 Ouma 2/6r Owino 1 Obunga 0 Odhiambo 0 Wanjiku DNP
February 15
Rwanda was the last team to debut when they played on Wednesday and they were still hoping to get solid practice for the actual tournament only to fall to South Sudan 54-40. Jannon Otto and Uganda fended off Raneem Elgedawy and Egypt 86-85 in the other game.
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1502/Rwanda-South-Sudan#|tab=boxscore
Rwanda [40]: Umugwaneza 8/7r Mwizerwa 8 Tetero 5 Micomyisa 5 Uwizeye 4/9r Imanizabayo 4/8r Kiyobe 4 Rutagengwa 2 Richardson 0 Mushikiwabo 0 Dusabe DNP Umuhoza DNP
South Sudan [54]: Teny 18 Tac 11 Macuei 9/9r Bulgak 8/12r Wol 8 Leime 0/6r Mayen 0 Gabriel 0 Angou DNP Dau DNP Lokuku DNP Riak DNP
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1502/Egypt-Uganda#|tab=boxscore
Egypt [85]: Elgedawy 22/14r Soliman 17/7r Mohamed 17 Abdelgawad 12/11r Moussa 9 Aly 5 Sherif 3 Hussein 0 Bakr 0 Elsherif 0 Ahmed 0 Elgizawy DNP
Uganda [86]: Otto 27/14r Akello 14/11r Ekone 13/6r Najjuma 10/6r Oketcho 10 Imanishimwe 8/8r Aber 4 Nakiyingi 0 Ageno 0 Lamunu DNP Nanvubya DNP Awor DNP
February 16
Kenya opened Thursday with a 69-58 win over Rwanda. Uganda continued their momentum at home with a 74-53 win over South Sudan.
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1602/Kenya-Rwanda#|tab=boxscore
Kenya [69]: Wanyama 16/9r Reynolds 15/7r Otieno 12 Akinyi 8/6r Ouma 7 Mwangale 4/6r/7a Okot 2/10r Okumu 2 Owino 2 Wanjiku 1 Odhiambo 0 Obunga 0
Rwanda [58]: Tetero 18 Richardson 10 Umuhoza 9 Uwizeye 6 Imanizabayo 5/8r Umugwaneza 4/15r Micomyiza 4 Mushikiwabo 2 Mwizerwa 0 Rutagengwa 0 Kiyobe 0 Dusabe DNP
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1602/Uganda-South-Sudan#|tab=boxscore
Uganda [74]: Akello 14/9r Ekone 14/8r Otto 13/7r Najjuma 10/18r Oketcho 8 Imanishimwe 7 Nakiyingi 4 Aber 3 Nanvubya 1 Awor 0 Ageno 0 Lamunu 0
South Sudan [53]: Macuei 15/17r Leime 9 Teny 9 Bulgak 7 Wol 6 Angou 3 Tac 2/6r Mayen 2 Riak 0 Gabriel 0 Dau DNP Lokuku DNP
February 17
Egypt rolled past Rwanda 102-56 in the first game on Friday and then Kenya defeated South Sudan 80-51 to set up the game that would determine the championship matchup.
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1702/Rwanda-Egypt#|tab=boxscore
Rwanda [56]: Uwizeye 15 Mushikiwabo 10 Tetero 10 Richardson 7 Umuhoza 4 Mwizerwa 3 Kiyobe 3 Umugwaneza 2/7r Rutagengwa 2 Imanizabayo 0/7a Micomyiza 0 Dusabe DNP
Egypt [102]: Sherif 18/6r Mohamed 17/6a Bakr 12 Elgedaway 11/7r Soliman 11 Ahmed 9 Elgizawy 8 Aly 6 Hussein 4/12r Moussa 4/6a Elsherif 2 Abdelgawad DNP
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1702/South-Sudan-Kenya#|tab=boxscore
South Sudan [51]: Bulgak 10/16r Leime 9 Mayen 8 Tac 7 Angou 6 Wol 4 Teny 3 Riak 3 Gabriel 1 Dau DNP Macuei DNP Lokuku DNP
Kenya [80]: Akinyi 17/12r Reynolds 17/8r Wanyama 14/7r Okot 11/18r Otieno 9 Ouma 6 Odhiambo 3 Okumu 2 Mwangale 1 Wanjiku 0 Obunga 0 Owino 0
February 18
The first game on Saturday saw Raneem Elgedawy and Egypt not only win, but completely flip the tiebreakers to take the top spot in the group 82-57 over Kenya. That result meant that Uganda would have to win in front of their fans against already qualified and winless Rwanda and they started well behind Jannon Otto and Brenda Ekone and then held on for an 82-57 win.
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1802/Egypt-Kenya#|tab=boxscore
Egypt [82]: Elgedawy 23/11r Soliman 13 Abdelgawad 12 Bakr 11 Mohamed 11 Ahmed 6 Aly 3 Moussa 2/7a Sherif 1 Hussein 0 Elsherif 0 Elgizawy 0
Kenya [57]: Wanyama 13/7r Ouma 11 Okot 10/8r Akinyi 6/12r Reynolds 6 Owino 5 Okumu 3 Otieno 2 Mwangale 1 Odhiambo 0 Wanjiku 0 Obunga 0
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1802/Uganda-Rwanda#|tab=boxscore
Uganda [78]: Otto 22/13r Ekone 22/8r Akello 15/11r Ageno 5 Oketcho 4 Najjuma 3/10r Imanishimwe 3 Aber 2 Nakiyingi 2 Lamunu DNP Nanvubya DNP Awor DNP
Rwanda [70]: Uwizeye 19/11r Tetero 17 Imanizabayo 15 Richardson 13 Umugwaneza 3/6r Micomyiza 3 Mushikiwabo 0 Mwizerwa 0 Umuhoza 0 Kiyobe 0 Rutagengwa DNP Dusabe DNP
February 19
The first game on Sunday saw Kenya ease to a 64-30 win over a South Sudan squad that was resting key players in the bronze medal game. The lone qualification place was decided by the championship game and it was close throughout, but Egypt avenged their earlier loss to Brenda Ekone and Uganda and won 74-65.
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1902/Kenya-South-Sudan#tab=boxscore
Kenya [64]: Okot 18/16r Reynolds 10/6r Odhiambo 8 Wanyama 6/6r Wanjiku 6 Mwangale 5 Okumu 4 Otieno 2/7a Akinyi 2 Owino 2 Ouma 1 Obunga 0
South Sudan [30]: Leime 10/9r Wol 7 Gabriel 5 Riak 4 Dau 3 Mayen 1 Angou 0 Lokuku 0 Bulgak DNP Teny DNP Tac DNP Macuei DNP
https://www.fiba.basketball/womensafrobasket/2023/qualifiers/game/1902/Egypt-Uganda#tab=boxscore
Egypt [74]: Elgedawy 19/12r/6s Sherif 16/6r Mohamed 11 Soliman 8/7r Bakr 8 Moussa 4/6a Abdelgawad 4 Hussein 2 Ahmed 2 Aly 0 Elgizawy DNP Elsherif DNP
Uganda [65]: Ekone 25/7r Otto 14/10r Najjuma 12/12r Oketcho 6 Akello 4/13r Imanishimwe 4 Nakiyingi 0 Lamunu DNP Ageno DNP Nanvubya DNP Aber DNP Awor DNP
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