Egypt to take on Uganda in Final of FIBA AfroBasket Zone 5 Qualifier
CAIRO (FIBA AfroBasket 2017) - Egypt and Uganda on Saturday will face off in the Final of the FIBA AfroBasket Zone 5 qualifier in Cairo.
CAIRO (FIBA AfroBasket 2017) - Egypt and Uganda on Saturday will face off in the Final of the FIBA AfroBasket Zone 5 qualifier in Cairo.
The two sides on Friday secured the two tickets on offer for Africa Zone 5 teams for the FIBA AfroBasket 2017 Final Round in Congo-Brazzaville in August (19-30).
Egypt secured their fourth win in as many games on Friday by trouncing Burundi 135-71 while Uganda saw off neighbour and East Africa main rival Rwanda 77-64 to stay undefeated in three games.
Eight Egypt players scored 10 points or more while Burundi had in Guibert Nijimbere their leading scorer with 20 points. Despite Nijimbere's heroics the Eastern African - who began their Group B run with an encouraging 96-83 win over Somalia - conceded their second defeat in three games.
The tournament hosts never trailed, took a comfortable 66-28 half-time led, and it came as no surprise that led by as many as 68 points.
Uganda's triumph over Rwanda represents a major statement of their dominance in East Africa. They will be playing in the 16-team FIBA AfroBasket for the second straight time while Rwanda last appeared in the event four years ago.
Rwanda's Kami Kabangu came up strong with team-highs 18 points and 7 rebounds, but Stephen Omwony's 15 points and 5 rebounds proved crucial for Uganda.
The last time Egypt and Uganda met in the FIBA AfroBasket Zone 5 qualifier in 2014, the North Africans prevailed in front of Uganda's fans in Kampala, although both teams went on to the Final Round in Tunisia.
FIBA