The FIBA Africa Women’s Championship is off to an action-packed quarterfinal stage.
Rwandan representatives, APR Women Basketball Club, are among eight teams that qualified to the next stages, and will be hoping to make the most of it when action gets underway Thursday, December 15 in Maputo, Mozambique.
Times Sport takes a look at the match-ups at the quarterfinals, and what to expect as teams rub shoulders.
APR vs InterClube
Five-time African champions InterClube have a date with and APR side who are winless so far this campaign, having lost all their group games
APR Women face the Angolan champions who finished with a 4-0 record in the group Phase, and the Rwandans are the underdogs on paper ahead of the encounter.
Interclube, who last won an African title in Maputo in 2016, amassed talent in every position, with captain Italee Lucas leading the charge as the team's top scorer with an average of 16.5 points per game.
The American-born and international player for Angola has, on occasion in the tournament, struggled to get going in games, but when she is at her best, she always looks unstoppable.
Team center Cristina Matiquite is another player to look out for, and she is a handy scorer (14 points per) and can crash boards for the Angolan club.
Matiquite plays with great intelligence down low and she will dominate the undersized APR forwards.
In the APR ranks, forward Assouma Uwizeye has been a leading player with nine points and 10 rebounds per game while Marie Imanizabayo has recorded 10.3 points and 2.7 assists per game. The two star players and their teammates have an uphill task of frustrating the Angolan giants and push for a place in the semifinals.
Kenya Port Authority (KPA) vs Alexandria Sporting Club
The final day of group play saw KPA and Sporting experiencing contrasting fortunes.
KPA ended the group stages on high after beating CNSS to finish with a 2-2 record, while Sporting experienced defeat at the hands of Ferroviario de Maputo.
It’s not the first time the pair is going to play as Sporting beat KPA 78-67 in the Zone V qualifiers.
Sporting will expect team captain Hagar Amer to help boost the team's morale after their group game loss to Ferroviario.
Amer experienced frustration at certain moments in the game against the Mozambicans despite scoring 20 points and crashing 13 boards.
The 1.85m (6ft 1in) Amer will not be alone in helping to carry the team as American guard Cierra Dillard, who has recorded 17 points and three assists a game, proves to be a good shooter and decent opportunity provider for teammates.
KPA have unearthed a gem in guard Ifunaya Okoro, who has provided the bulk of the scoring for Mombasa-based club. Her 22 points and 5.8 assists per game helped KPA get through the group stages and growing into the tournament.
Centre Madina Okot is also the player the watch ahead of the clash given her important role in the club’s recent results.
She has done the dirty work shot blocking at the defensive end and has racked up a staggering 22.8 rebounds per game. Okot is also developing into a good scorer, with a record of 9.8 points a game.
Okot and Amer's battle at the post will be interesting to watch.
ASC Ville de Dakar vs Costa do Sol
Costa do Sol are touted to be favourites to win the battle against the West Africans.
The Mozambicans will, however, have to play 40 minutes of good basketball to live up to their favourite tag. Their 3-1 record in the Group Phase is something to write home about, and there are some quality players in this Costa do Sol team.
With a guard like Ingvild Mucauro pushing the pace, Costa do Sol will not struggle for points on the board.
Mucauro's 16 points and 9.5 rebounds per game have been the difference in tight situations in matches, and against ASC, it will be no different.
ASC, who progressed to the quarter-finals with a 1-3 record, will have seen Costa do Sol in action and feel they have a shot.
The Senegalese champions will depend on the scoring ability of Couna Ndao, who has recorded 12.7 points per game in the tournament so far.
CNSS vs Ferroviario de Maputo
Ferroviario de Maputo and CNSS last met during the 2019 edition of the tournament in Cairo, with the former going on to win the game 89-57.
However, the quarter final game between the pair could be a different one and has the potential to be a thriller.
CNSS's record of 1-3 is not a testament to their talent. The Democratic Republic of Congo-representatives faced strong opposition in the group stages and will feel they have something to prove in the last eight.
With sharpshooter Marlene Ngobeleza in their line-up, they can be assured that points will not be hard to come by against Ferroviario. Ngobeleza's 19 points per game and Deborah Mayimona's 16.8 points and seven rebounds per game have been a highlight of CNSS so far this campaign.
Ferroviario finished the group stages with a 3-0 record. After beating Alexandria Sporting Club in their final group encounter, the defending champions will head to the knockout phase with a decent amount of confidence.
Floor general Shelsey Shumpert is expected to pull the strings in the attack for Ferroviario. The American has also been a constant scorer and passer through the tournament so far as his 13.3 points and three assists per game are stats that were crucial for Ferroviario’s impressive campaign.
Another player who has risen to the occasion for the Maputo-based side is forward Odelia Mafanela, who supplied points (11.7 points per game) and rebounds (6 rebounds per game).