Zetech University Sparks yesterday beat the reigning Kenya Basketball Federation Women’s Premier League champions Equity Bank Hawks 54-45 in a match played at the Nyayo Gymnasium.
The victory saw the students maintain their perfect run while the bankers who have not been in action since the Christmas break suffered their first defeat.
Sparks who will face Strathmore University Swords today stretched their winning streak to six matches. Sparks’ Mitchelle Sokoujou had a good day out sinking 19 points while captain Betty Kananu and Rachel Akinyi led Hawks with 13 points each.
A slow start to the game proved costly for Hawks as Sparks capitalised on it to take a 14-7 first quarter lead. The second period was evenly contested as both sides alternated in scoring points with the bankers snatching it 17-15.
However, their efforts were not good enough as the students remained in control at the breather with the score at 29-24.
On resumption, Sparks played with earnest showing their determination to win the game by taking the third quarter 15-11 for a comfortable nine points advantage going into the final period.
The two sides were even in the fourth quarter with 10 points but it was Sparks’ good show in the first and third quarters that carried the day.
In another encounter, former champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) subjected Strathmore Swords to their second loss of the season after squeezing a 63-59 victory.
Swords skipper Joy Mupalia led from the front with 19 points while Alima Doumbia sunk 15 for KPA. The dockers who had played catch up in the first half after losing the first quarter 12-14 and the second 15-18 to the students recovered in the second half to outclass their opponent and snatch maximum points.
Going into the third quarter with a five points deficit, the dockers utilized every scoring opportunity to win 16-13 and reduce the gap to two points. With victory within reach, they overpowered Swords in the last quarter scoring 20 against 14 to seal their seventh win and maintain their 100 percent win record.
One-time league winners United States International University of Africa (USIU-A) Flames thrashed Safe Spaces 64-37 to maintain their good run. Flames who are looking to recapture the title they won in 2015 have been in brilliant form and remain unbeaten this season alongside KPA and Zetech Sparks.
Flames dominated the game from the onset winning all the quarters as Safe Spaces who have won game out of eight struggled to keep up with the pace. Today, Flames will face off with wounded Hawks in hunt of their fifth win while KPA will play winless African Nazarene University (ANU) Panthers.
