CAIRO (Egypt) - On the opening day of the U18 Women's AfroBasket Qualifiers for Zone 5 teams, two very different games took place in Cairo, Egypt.
While Tanzania had to work hard to fend off Rwanda's rally, Egypt easily won by 47 points against Kenya.
Here's a recap of Friday's games in the Egyptian capital.
Rwanda's strong fourth quarter came too late
Rwanda's lead in the game lasted only 1:51 after Liliane Ingabire's opening layup.
Then, Tanzania rolled up their sleeves to take control of the game, going on to lead by as many as 21 points.
Realizing they were losing, the Rwandans had a strong fourth quarter, outscoring Tanzania 15-7. However, their effort came too late, and Tanzania held on for the 60-58 victory.
Rose Katamboy was one of the main reasons Tanzania emerged victorious.
In addition to her game-high 25 points, Katamboy had eight rebounds. Her partner in crime, Pendo Lazier - the other Tanzanian to score in double figures - finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Liliane Ingabire, who scored the opening basket for Rwanda, led her team with 20 points.
Kenya was no match for Egypt
Playing in front of their home fans, Egypt dominated, defeating Kenya 78-31.
Although Trixy Ochieng opened the scoring with a free throw, which turned out to be Kenya's only lead, the Kenyans were no match for Egypt.
Egypt dominated this one-sided affair and took the chance to sit atop the group with a huge point differential.
Hania Hassabelnaby's layup turned the game in Egypt's favor, and they went on to lead by as many as 50 points.
All twelve Egyptian players scored at least two points, with Hassabelnaby and Fatma Abdellah leading the way for coach Tarek Abouzied's team.
Vivian Ratemo came off the bench to lead Kenya in scoring with eight points.
Coming up next
In Saturday's doubleheader, Egypt and Tanzania will compete for supremacy in the group, while Kenya and Rwanda will battle for their first win in the qualifying tournament.
FIBA