Defending FIBA Zone 5 women’s basketball champions, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), defeated Equity Hawks with a commanding 80-63 victory, advancing to the semi-finals of the FIBA Women’s Basketball League Zone Five African Qualifiers at Tanzania’s Amaan Indoor Arena.
KPA now joins Egypt’s Al Ahly Sporting Club, and Rwanda’s APR and REG teams, in the battle for two spots in the 2024 Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) finals scheduled for December in Senegal.
The Dockers, last year’s silver medalists, began the game slowly, trailing 18-27 after the first quarter. They bounced back strongly in the second quarter, outscoring Equity 19-8 and leading 37-35 at halftime. After an evenly matched third quarter, KPA dominated the final stretch with a 26-11 run, securing a decisive victory.
KPA’s Selina Okumu led with 17 points, with teammates Nkem Akaraiwe and Malu Irebu Grace contributing 16 and 15 points respectively. Equity Hawks’ top scorers were Maryann Nyagaki and Michele Sokoudjou Fotsing, each with 11 points.
KPA will face reigning champions Al Ahly Sporting Club of Egypt in the semi-final, while Equity Hawks will play Vijana Queens of Tanzania in the classification matches for 5th to 8th place.
Earlier in the qualifiers, KPA and Equity Hawks had mixed performances, including KPA’s massive 128-36 win over Hawassa City and a challenging 76-96 loss to Rwanda’s APR. Equity Hawks similarly saw a strong 73-51 win against Burundi’s Gladiators but lost 73-86 to Rwanda’s REG.
This quarter-final clash marked a repeat of last year’s AWBL showdown between KPA and Equity, in which KPA triumphed en route to the final. However, Equity had their revenge in the Kenyan Premier League, claiming the title with a 3-2 series victory.
In other results, Al Ahly defeated Vijana Queens 130-47, APR bested Gladiators 78-55, and REG overcame JKL Lady of Uganda 67-52, setting the stage for an intense semi-final round.
