Australia's Emma Clarke (in yellow) in action with Kenya's Babra Achieng during Australia vs Kenya Women's 3x3 Basketball at SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 24, 2026.
Kenya women’s 3x3 basketball team have a date with destiny on Sunday at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland
They face Jamaica and Cayman Islands on Sunday, July 26, 2026 from 1.30pm and 7.30pm (Kenyan time) respectively as they seek victory from their Pool ‘A’ outings to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The Kenyan team registered mixed results yesterday after their thrilling 16-14 victory against Fiji gave them a lifeline and a shot at the quarter-finals. They had lost to Australia and Uganda by an identical 21-5 score line.
The tournament has two pools of six teams each from where winners get straight tickets to the semi-finals. The next two teams in each pool proceed to the quarter-finals of four teams.
On Saturday, July 25, Kenya men’s 3x3 basketball team made a difficult start to their campaign, falling 19-16 to Singapore in their Pool A opener at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow.
Kenya appeared on course for victory after establishing a three-point lead in a closely fought contest, but Singapore responded strongly to wrest back control and condemn the East Africans to defeat.
The Kenyans struggled to convert crucial scoring opportunities, particularly in the closing stages, as Singapore capitalised on their lapses to secure the win.
Captain Dennis Aduol Koja, Rodney Sande, Brans Nzioka and David Gichohi were left to rue a missed opportunity after surrendering their advantage.
Sande acknowledged that Kenya needed to be more clinical in key moments but remained optimistic about their chances of bouncing back.
“It was fun, the intensity was high. A few hiccups, but onto the next. We’re going to adjust,” said Sande.
“We’ve already seen our mistakes, where we were a little bit relaxed, so we’re going to adjust in the coming games.”
Kenya’s failure to convert their opportunities proved particularly costly in the closing moments. With the scores tied at 15-15, Koja missed two free throws before Singapore took advantage, scoring a two-pointer and two field goals to pull away and seal the victory.
The result leaves Kenya with little room for error in their remaining Pool A matches as they seek to improve their execution and make better use of their scoring chances.
Kenya will next face Malaysia at 7:25pm Kenyan time before completing their opening-day schedule against hosts England at 9:50pm. Despite the prospect of facing a home crowd backing England, Sande believes Kenya can still produce an upset.
“We know the fans will be behind England, but we came here to fight and we must give our nation the limelight,” he said.
The fast-paced 3x3 format, played to 21 points or for a maximum of 10 minutes, leaves little room for errors, making Kenya’s missed chances against Singapore all the more costly.
Kenya will now have to regroup quickly and improve their finishing as they seek to revive their campaign. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Kenya finished third in their pool after beating Sri Lanka and losing to Scotland and Canada. They subsequently faced Australia in the knock-out stage, where they were eliminated.
Kenya are in Pool A alongside England, Singapore, Malaysia, Fiji and Jamaica.
Follow ourWhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
