Equity Hawks clipped as African tourney tips off in Egypt
Cynthia Kiptoo (left) of Eldonets Ladies Team is guarded by Melissa Otieno of Equity Ladies during their Kenya Basketball Federation women's Premier League match at Uasin Gishu Primary School grounds in Eldoret on February 25, 2023. Equity won 85-45.
What you need to know:
- The bankers, who qualified for the tournament through a wild card had a tough outing as they were unable to penetrate a resolute Inter Clube defence
- In the first quarter, Equity Hawks were unable to take advantage of the defensive rebounds and committed costly mistakes including three-second violation rule in some occasions
- In the third quarter, the bankers led by Betty Kananu, Melissa Otieno, Grace Irebu and Judith Pantaleo seemed to have settled as they managed to reduce Inter Clube's attacking threat
Equity Hawks got off to a wrong start after losing 80-55 to Inter Clube of Angola as the first edition of the African Women Basketball League got underway in Alexandria, Egypt on Monday.
The bankers, who qualified for the tournament through a wild card had a tough outing as they were unable to penetrate a resolute Inter Clube defence.
They conceded over 30 turnovers which was their main undoing in the entire match to the advantage of the Angolans who seemed to score baskets at will.
In the first quarter, Equity Hawks were unable to take advantage of the defensive rebounds and committed costly mistakes including three-second violation rule in some occasions.
Inter Clube, led by Eduarda Gabriel played an offensive game through the baseline and outside the three-point arc and went on to win the first quarter 27-19.
The second quarter was tough for Equity Hawks as they conceded two baskets in the first 30 seconds as Inter Clube got two steals in quick succession following defensive lapses by the bankers forcing their technical bench to call for a timeout.
Equity Hawks struggled to score points in the seemingly one-sided quarter as most shots were either blocked or intercepted by Inter Clube who went for fast breaks to ensure they went into the half-time break leading 49-30.
In the third quarter, the bankers led by Betty Kananu, Melissa Otieno, Grace Irebu and Judith Pantaleo seemed to have settled as they managed to reduce Inter Clube's attacking threat.
They had clear cut passes and combined well on the offensive despite going down 17-16.
However, the bankers seemed to have lost concentration in the fourth quarter conceding turnovers and posting a poor defensive play to lose 14-09.
In other matches played on Monday, University of Douala from Cameroon lost 46-57 to Customs of Nigeria while Rwanda Energy Group (REG) from Rwanda defeated Overdose Up Station of Cameroon 86-45.
Kenyan champions Kenya Ports Authority takes on Democratic Republic of Congo’s CNSS on Tuesday evening.
