KIGALI (Rwanda) - Hosts Rwanda and Argentina were the biggest winners of the day in what promises to be a long race to move on to the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournament.
Rwanda made the most of their tireless 5,083 fans to beat Lebanon while Argentina recorded their first win against an European for the first time in 18 years.
Here's a look back at the events at BK Arena in Kigali.
Kane powers Senegal in nail-biting win over Hungary
Ndioma Kane came off the to inspire Senegal to a nail-bitting 63-61 win over Hungary in the opening game of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Kigali, Rwanda.
The 24-year-old forward was the secret weapon Senegal needed to record their first win against an European opponent since they beat Latvia 70-69 at FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 in Spain.
Kane did a bit of everything for the Lionesses. From driving to the basket, disrupting Hungary's offense with two steals and decorate her team-high performance of 16 points with a buzzer-beater, Kane was unstoppable.
But an undeniable fact that gave Senegal their first win in Group C was clearly their aggressive defense for most of the game. From a full court press defense to a very physical game in the paint, which limited Hungary's bigs Virag Kiss and Bernadett Hatar to a combined 17 points, the Senegalese fought for their lives to come up on top.
The West African side trailed early in the opening quarter (8-6), but when Madjiguene Sene levelled the game up at 8-8 still in the opening quarter, Senegal embarked on a scoring spree, leading by as many as 12 points, while keeping Hungary scoreless for approximately six minutes early in the fourth quarter.
Debora Dubei was 4-for-8 from behind the arc to finish with a game-high of 24 points, but Hungary's 21 turnovers proved costly in the end.
Soares and De Oliveira's combined 28 points too much for Philippines
A game that could have gone either way ended up in favour of Brazil who needed to apply their physicality to beat a resilient Philippines team 77-74.
We had nothing to lose. We had everything to gain - Jack Animan.
It wasn't until the last second of the game that Brazil heaved a sigh of relief when Caca Martins hit two straight free-throws to secure their first win and close the opening day on top of Group C.
Ten lead changes, lots of uncertainty, but Leticia Soares and Emanuely De Oliveira's combined 28 points proved too much for the Filipinas, who saw Jack Animan record the tournament's first double-double (18 points and 21 rebounds).
Animan later reflected on her team's effort, saying: "We had nothing to lose. We had everything to gain, especially because we have a very young team. For them to compete in this kind of competition, I am really proud of my teammates. We fought; I can see so many good things happening. Although we lost, we gained so much. We are going to keep to improve."
D'Urso makes it rain to shock Great Britain
As the final buzzer sounded, Argentina head coach Gregorio Martinez praised his team for "beating an European for the first time in many, many years."
In fact, Argentina had last beaten an European team during the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2006 in São Paulo, Brazil when they upset Spain 77-64 in a game that current Great Britain head coach Ana Montanana -then a Spain international player - contributed 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Martinez's team stepped on the floor ready to give their all, and winning their first game in Group D was "was highly significant for a group of players that hasn't practiced together for long," he said after the South American stunned Great Britain 53-47.
Great Britain guard Shanice Beckford-Norton opened the scoreline with a lay-up, but when Marcarena D'Urso responded with a mid-range jumper, Argentina never trailed again. They even led by as many as 15 points.
They are not phenomenal three-point shooters. We just let them shoot open shots - Holly Winterburn
The Argentines kept GB scoreless for four minutes to start the final ten minutes while using a 7-0 run for a 50-35 lead - their biggest advantage in the game.
Marcarena D'Urso was impressive, shooting 5-for-11 from behind the arc to finish with a game-high of 19 points.
Reflecting on Great Britain's loss, Holly Winterburn, who led her team in scoring with 11 points, said: "This is our second game together, we are too young, we are still learning; We'll take a lot from this; we'll watch film and get better. We can only take the positives from here. They are not phenomenal three-point shooters. We just let them shoot open shots. You can't really do much when they get open shot. We've to be better and stick to the scout. Credit to them for making them."
Unstoppable Murekatete paces hosts to historic win
In her first appearance with the senior national team, Bella Murekatete set the tone for the hosts with game-highs of 24 points and 7 rebounds to help Rwanda beat Lebanon 80-62.
It was Rwanda's first-ever win against a non-African, and in the words of Murekatete, the thousands of fans that flocked into the BK Arena "played a huge part in the win. Great support from our fans." She went on saying if they "continue to execute their game plan they are really tough to beat."
Former WNBA Keisha Hampton added 21 points; India Sifa scored 9 of her 16 from behind the arc, and the hosts closed the day on top of Group D with a promising campaign ahead of them.
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