Battling KPA hit Equity to force Game Five in basketball league play-off final
Aminata Samassekou of KPA Women team dribbles past the Equity Hawks defence during Game Four of their play-off finals at Makande KPA Welfare Hall on July 20, 2024. KPA won 64:50.
What you need to know:
- A furious Equity Hawks coach, Benson Oluoch, blamed his team’s loss on poor officiating.
- "There is nothing I can say, without good officiating, our game will not grow. There was no fairness here,” said Oluoch.
Champions Kenya Ports Authority women's basketball team were Sunday made to work hard on before defeating Equity Hawks 74-54 in Game Four to level best-of-five Kenya Basketball Federation women’s Premier League final play-off series 2-2.
In a tense but entertaining match which was stopped briefly after rival fans engaged in a scuffle, home team KPA fought hard and won, pushing the title race to Monday's crucial Game Five. Should KPA win today, the dockers will retain the title for three consecutive seasons.
KPA, led by their veteran point guard and captain Natalie Akinyi, had a slow start to the game in the first quarter but staged a major comeback after changing their game plan in the remaining quarters. The dockers pressed more aggressively, and forced Equity Hawks into making mistakes which they cashed in on to close the match.
In the first quarter, visiting Equity Hawks were first off the blocks, racing to a 8-0 lead in the first eight minutes of the game. That forced KPA's technical bench to call for a time-out.
The visitors, led by Betty Kananu, Rita Onyango and Jemima Knight, consolidated their offensive power to lead 23-14.
In the second quarter, KPA’s Aminata Sammasekou scored a three-pointer, and Vilma Owino's two points reduced Equity Hawks’ lead.
KPA piled pressure, forcing the visitors into committing defensive errors. Equity’s technical bench called for a time-out, but that did little to stop the home team from leading the quarter 24-11.
In the third quarter, Akinyi, Sammasekou and Selina Okumu combined well to score baskets at will, both from within the paint and from outside the three-point area.
Equity Hawks’ offense, led by Kananu, Maryann Nyagaki and Vallery Kemunto, found it hard to penetrate the resolute KPA's defence, which took advantage of defensive rebounds and lose balls to surge ahead. The dockers went on to lead 22-13.
Equity Hawks’ defensive lapses in the fourth quarter, coupled with lack of a smooth transitional play, cost them as KPA coordinated their passes better on the offensive to outscore their opponents 14-07.
A furious Equity Hawks coach, Benson Oluoch, blamed his team’s loss on poor officiating.
"There is nothing I can say, without good officiating, our game will not grow. There was no fairness here,” said Oluoch.
The decisive Game Five will be played on Monday.
