The small forward was the MVP as Kenya revived their chances following victory over Burundi in the AfroBasket qualifiers and is now looking forward to more wins.
Kenya Lionesses forward Victoria Reynolds hopes their first win at the FIBA Africa Zone 5 Women’s AfroBasket qualifiers will give them motivation to stay in the competition.
Kenya revived their hopes following a 87-53 victory over Burundi on Wednesday, saving them the blushes, having come into the match while on the brink of elimination after back-to-back losses, after going down 78-56 to Uganda before losing 86-69 to South Sudan.
That left George Mayienga’s side with their back against the wall but Reynolds displayed her ‘A-Game’ on Wednesday, scoring 22 points, making seven assists and six steals, as Kenya bounced back after winning 26-10 in first quarter, 15-8 in the second before claiming 25-16 and 28-12 victories in the third and final quarters.
Captain Selina Okumu was Kenya’s second highest scorer with 15 points although Vilma Owino made all the difference when the Lionesses were on the backfoot, pouring in 12 points in just over 11 minutes at key moments of the game.
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Reynolds admits the first two losses hurt them and they needed no motivation against Burundi with the team also benefiting from some tactical changes from coach Mayienga.
“Honestly, it was disappointing because we did not play at our best in the first game. We had some improvements defensively especially in the second game but we still have to do more,” Reynolds told Telecomasia.net.
“It was our ambition to do the best we could, now we have to pick up and face the last matches with a bit more confidence because we have to fight for wins.”
Reynolds and her team-mates will indeed need to do more as their next match is against unbeaten hosts Egypt on Friday, a must-win tie that they have to be at their very best to triumph.
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