Basketball in Africa

KENYA Ports Authority (KPA) went down 49-67 to defending champions Desportivo of Mozambique in the Day 5 counting for Group B of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for women game at Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium in Nairobi, Kenya.
The porters got off to a smart start when Agnes Anyango shot the match opener before Deolinda Nguela made the winners first basket. Nguela reverse lay up then had the scores 5-3 as the winners took a 11-5 advantage. Joyce Makungu turn shot had the scores 7-11.

But again Nguela was at it, making the scores 14-7 from a three point shot. Soon Makungu fed Brenda Angechi inside and she scored her only points. On fire Makungu bagged a buzzer beater as the first quarter ended with KPA down 6-15.

In the second quarter, Yolanda Jones got Desportiovo ahead 18-15 and Caroline Arato had it 17-18 before Aleia Rachie scored on their next possesion to stretch the victors’ slim margin to a 22-17 advantage as KPA made the champions look ordinary.

Hellen Oketch checked in and her first contribution was a huge three pointer that locked the duel 22-22, Arato swished a free shot at 23-22 with 0:58 seconds. Rachide made it 24-23 and Sokhna Lisky basket seperated the teams 26-23 at half time.

The third quarter was solely a Nguela show. Desportivo's exiting point guard was on top of her game as she started to exert pressure hitting clutch three pointers that disrupted KPA tempo. Her first had the scores 29-23, after Everlyn Akoth hit a three, Nguela unveilled yet another.

As KPA struggled to figure out how to contain her swift off the ball movements, she escaped and connected for a 51-36 as the third quarter ended of this pool B encounter.

She did not even come back to play in the last quarter as her team had raked up a 23 points lead, the biggest of the game.

Veteran Makungu was the KPA toast as she worked hard to manage 16 points, the only double figure recorded by the porters in this match. For Desportivo, Ngeula wound up with 20 points, Likshy recorded 13.

Coach Anthony Ojukwu hailed her side saying they played better than their previous game where they lost 53-63 to CSA of Core d Ivoire. "We were better today despite the loss. Desportivo are the champions and closing them down in the first half showed we had done well. We will work on our finishing before the quarters."

His counter part, Nasir Saleh dismissed KPA saying the game was not tough but that his girls shooting which made them the only team to average over twenty points per quarter was wanting. "My girls did not execute well that is the difference."