NAIROBI, Kenya, May 3 – The Kenya Lionesses put up a fight, losing 17-11 to Canada in their opening match of the Olympic 3×3 Basketball Finals qualifying tournament in Japan on Friday morning.
The Kenyan girls were unable to match the speed and efficiency of the Canadian girls in the second half of the match, but they should be proud of the effort they put in against one of the tournament favourites.
Madina Okot picked the best statistics for the Kenyan team with five points and four rebounds while Victoria Reynolds also recorded five points and three rebounds.
Canada was particularly effective from two-point range, with Paige Crozon scoring four goals on 11 attempts and contributing 10 points for the Americas champions.
The Lionesses got off to a good start against the Canadiens in the opening exchanges of the match, with Madina and Reynolds dropping points to tie the game at 4-4.
But the Canadiens were really trying their best to get the ball outside the curve, and Crozon and Michel Plouffe made several attempts.
The duo played a vital role as Canada took a 9-6 lead, prompting Kenya to call a timeout. But Canada scored two straight baskets to open a five-point gap, bringing the score to 11-6.
But Reynolds scored one goal from the two-point line to cut the deficit to 11-8, before Wanyama scored to cut the game to two points.
But the Canadians picked up the tempo and kept the edges well, with Kenya backing away and putting pressure on them to pick up points with quick shots.
The defeat now means Kenya must win at least one match from day two on Saturday to raise some hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals, with only the winner of the tournament earning a ticket to the Olympic Games.
Kenya will play Australia and the Netherlands on Saturday.
