KIBAHA (Tanzania) - All eight Zone 5 teams took to the floor in Kihaba, Tanzania, on Monday, but only three remain undefeated after the third day of the Women's Basketball Africa League (WBLA) qualifiers.
With uncertainty in the air, the group stage of the qualifiers will resume on Tuesday with four games, in which all four contenders will return to action.
How did we end up here? See below for an overview of Monday's four games.
Dynamo drop second game in a row
On Monday, in the first of four games, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) bounced back from a disappointing start to their campaign by beating Burundi's Dynamo 75-68.
Victoria Reynolds, who had a relatively subdued performance against REG, stepped up, leading the Kenyan powerhouse with a stellar performance of 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The win brought KPA's record to 1-1 in Group A, while Dynamo remained winless after their second game.
REG deny Fox Divas
After a commanding win over KPA on opening day, Rwanda Energy Group (REG) did it again, shrugging off the Fox Divas 97-74 at home.
Two days after scoring a tournament-high 37 points, Kayana Traylor bombarded the Divas' defense with eight three-pointers in sixteen attempts, finishing with 30 points.
Traylor was joined by three teammates who also scored in the double digits. Delicia Washington (13 points), Kristina King (22 points), and Kadidia Maiga (10 points) helped dismantle the Divas' defense.
Fox Divas dropped to 1-1, while REG remains the only undefeated team in Group A with a 2-0 record.
Les Hippos improve to 2-0
There was never any question that APR and REG were rated as frontrunners, but Les Hippos sharing the top spot in Group B with APR comes as a bit of a surprise.
Les Hippos overpowered Kenya's Equity Hawks 71–55 to remain undefeated.
Although the Hawks went into the half-time break with a solid 33–26 lead, Les Hippos emerged in the second half as a transformed team, sinking three after three and leaving the Hawks looking helpless.
Diaka Berete led the way for the Tanzanian side, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Congolese player Malu Irebu Grace also made her presence felt during her 40 minutes on the court, contributing 10 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks.
In the second Group B game, Rwanda's APR beat their own record for the largest winning margin by trouncing the Tanzanian team Vijana BC 115–51. This 65-point margin is the largest in the tournament so far.
Both APR and Les Hippos, who will face each other on Tuesday, are currently joint top of Group B with a 2–0 record.
FIBA