Podium finish for national 3x3 side as Africa Cup concludes

Ashley Minayo was the show's star as the Kenya women's 3x3 team beat Benin 20-11 to settle for bronze as this year's FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup concluded on Sunday, 1 December, in Madagascar. 

Minayo's 10-point, 6-rebound show made sure the Sylvia Kamau-coached side sealed the victory and made the podium for the second edition in a row, having won the title in the last outing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifying tournaments. 

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The national men's team settled for fifth place.

Madagascar's men and women won the double, picking victories over Rwanda and Egypt, respectively.

It was a dominant run for the men as they went unbeaten on their way to the final, last defeating a gritty Algerian side in the semis. The team had been firing on all cylinders, led on offense by Elly Randriamampionona and Livio Ratianarivo but getting big contributions from the remaining duo. 

The final against Rwanda was as one-sided as it gets. The home side couldn’t be stopped as they caught fire from deep. Livio, who had been unstoppable on the day, put up 11 points in the resounding result. The game turned into a result for the history books as Madagascar came away with a 22-3 victory. 

The women’s side had a similar run of form, going unbeaten on their way to the final, where they faced a strong Egypt side, a team they barely got the better of in pool play. 

It was a back-and-forth game for the most part, but it was Minaoharisoa Jaofera whose all-round performance paved the way for a breakthrough. An 8-point, 6-rebound display sealed the deal for the home side as they secured the 20 - 15 result. 

The dynamic Algerians (men) finished an electric tournament with bronze over Benin in an 18-15 win. Scoring machine Chakib Sedoud put up 9 points and 7 rebounds in the winning effort.

Livio was the offensive star of the tournament; he put up 24 points over 2 games on the final day, bookending a perfect display from Madagascar in this event. He took home MVP honors and led the men’s team of the tournament alongside Rwanda’s Olivier Turatsinze and Algeria’s Sedoud who were the key pieces in their teams medaling in Antananarivo. 

Madagascar’s Jaofera was the floor general for her side. She finished with a tournament-high player value of 32.9. Her output on both ends led the home side to the win. She won the MVP award, headlining the women’s team of the tournament with Egypt’s Habiba Mohamed and Kenya’s Christine Akinyi, who were the driving forces for their teams as they finished with silver and bronze, respectively. 

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Men's standings

1. Madagascar

2. Rwanda

3. Algeria

4. Benin

5. Kenya

6. Mauritania

7. Seychelles

8. Central African Republic

9. Uganda

10. Egypt

Women's standings

1. Madagascar

2. Egypt

3. Kenya

4. Benin

5. Rwanda

6. Uganda

7. Comoros