26 September 2014
KENYA : Kenyan women still unbeaten at Zone V
As the defending champions and after
only two games, Kenya ladies basketball team has come out as the side to
beat at the Fiba Zone V Championships.
They saw off hosts Uganda 52-49 on Tuesday in Kampala after their opening 63-57 win over Egypt.
The Kenyan ladies defied all odds at Lugogo Indoor Arena to dominate their opponents winning the first two quarters 18-12 and 13-11 and enjoyed an 8 point advantage at the breather.
A complacent performance upon resumption had Uganda gaining ground and threatened the imminent win for Kenya who struggled back to win the third quarter 13-5 and level the scores going to the homestretch.
It was Kenya who had the finishing kick inside fourth quarter to win 16-13 and extend their good record against the Ugandans in the regional tourney.
Kenya had 15 steals against Uganda’s 6, grabbed 55 rebounds against Uganda’s 38 and scored 12 points from the 3-point line after 18 attempts.
It was the second straight win for Kenyan ladies and second loss for host Uganda who now stand an outside chance of winning the overall title.
After the first round of play, Kenya is top with four points from two wins while Egypt has three points from a win and a loss. Uganda has fallen off the pace with just two points from two losses and will have to restrategize in the return games. The hosts play Egypt in their second game of the double round-robin on Friday desperately needing a win. A loss will all but eliminate them from contention.
The Egyptians will have no time to rest as they will play Kenya in less than 24 hours (Saturday) which could work to the Kenyans’ advantage.
Kenya men face Egypt
In men category, Kenya will be back on the court Friday with a must-win game against Egypt.
It will be a tough encounter for Kenya who have won one and lost once while Egypt will be looking to add another win to the two they have already registered against Rwanda (79-63) and Uganda (85-77).
A win for Kenya will tie them on five points with Egypt but a loss will complicate their chances.
Desmond Owili who plays for Uganda Christian University (UCU) has been the main attraction not only for Kenya but Ugandans who hold him with high regard. A screaming headline “Owili is back and more” carried by local newspaper Daily Monitor captured his influence to the Ugandan game.
Owili is serving a one-year league ban after shoving a match official but his 16 points against Somalia and screaming dunks proved his mettle.
On the sideshows, constant power outages have also been reported to have interrupted games at Lugogo Arena for several times.
Fixtures: September 26- Egypt vs Kenya (men, 1700hrs), Egypt vs Uganda (women, 1900hrs); September 27-Somalia vs Egypt (men, 1500hrs), Kenya vs Egypt (women, 1700hrs), Kenya vs Uganda (men, 1900hrs); September 28-Kenya vs Uganda (women, 1700hrs), Rwanda vs Uganda (men, 1700hrs), Closing Ceremony- 2030hrs).
They saw off hosts Uganda 52-49 on Tuesday in Kampala after their opening 63-57 win over Egypt.
The Kenyan ladies defied all odds at Lugogo Indoor Arena to dominate their opponents winning the first two quarters 18-12 and 13-11 and enjoyed an 8 point advantage at the breather.
A complacent performance upon resumption had Uganda gaining ground and threatened the imminent win for Kenya who struggled back to win the third quarter 13-5 and level the scores going to the homestretch.
It was Kenya who had the finishing kick inside fourth quarter to win 16-13 and extend their good record against the Ugandans in the regional tourney.
Kenya had 15 steals against Uganda’s 6, grabbed 55 rebounds against Uganda’s 38 and scored 12 points from the 3-point line after 18 attempts.
It was the second straight win for Kenyan ladies and second loss for host Uganda who now stand an outside chance of winning the overall title.
After the first round of play, Kenya is top with four points from two wins while Egypt has three points from a win and a loss. Uganda has fallen off the pace with just two points from two losses and will have to restrategize in the return games. The hosts play Egypt in their second game of the double round-robin on Friday desperately needing a win. A loss will all but eliminate them from contention.
The Egyptians will have no time to rest as they will play Kenya in less than 24 hours (Saturday) which could work to the Kenyans’ advantage.
Kenya men face Egypt
In men category, Kenya will be back on the court Friday with a must-win game against Egypt.
It will be a tough encounter for Kenya who have won one and lost once while Egypt will be looking to add another win to the two they have already registered against Rwanda (79-63) and Uganda (85-77).
A win for Kenya will tie them on five points with Egypt but a loss will complicate their chances.
Desmond Owili who plays for Uganda Christian University (UCU) has been the main attraction not only for Kenya but Ugandans who hold him with high regard. A screaming headline “Owili is back and more” carried by local newspaper Daily Monitor captured his influence to the Ugandan game.
Owili is serving a one-year league ban after shoving a match official but his 16 points against Somalia and screaming dunks proved his mettle.
On the sideshows, constant power outages have also been reported to have interrupted games at Lugogo Arena for several times.
Fixtures: September 26- Egypt vs Kenya (men, 1700hrs), Egypt vs Uganda (women, 1900hrs); September 27-Somalia vs Egypt (men, 1500hrs), Kenya vs Egypt (women, 1700hrs), Kenya vs Uganda (men, 1900hrs); September 28-Kenya vs Uganda (women, 1700hrs), Rwanda vs Uganda (men, 1700hrs), Closing Ceremony- 2030hrs).