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Flames win to set stage for a nerve-wracking final showdown against KPA
Kenya Ports Authority women's basketball team players (centre) during their first finals against USIU Flames at KPA Makande Welfare Centre on January, 24 2016. USIU Flames came from behind to beat KPA and level best-of-five final series on Sunday in Nairobi. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Defending women’s basketball Premier League champions USIU-A Flames rallied from behind to beat Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) 66-62 in a tight match in Game Four of the play-offs final.
- KPA needed to win Game Four to recapture the league title on a 3-1 basis after having comfortably won Game Three 73-64 in Nairobi on Saturday.
- In the Super eight tournament matches at Nyayo, Scorpion beat Mystics 70-66, Sabres lost 76-35 to Royals while Peter Shilton scored 19 points to lead Wolves in a 63-49 win over Trojans.
Defending women’s basketball Premier League champions USIU-A Flames rallied from behind to beat Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) 66-62 in a tight match in Game Four of the play-offs final at Nyayo National Stadium Gymnasium in Nairobi on Sunday.
The students’ hard-fought victory locked the best-of-five series at 2-2, leaving the decisive Game Five, which was scheduled for last evening at the same venue, to determine the 2015 women’s Premier League champions.
USIU-A, who snatched the title from KPA in 2014 after beating them 3-1 in the final, had made tremendous effort of retaining the championship after forcing a 1-1 tie in the away opening Game One and Two at their opponents backyard at KPA Makande Gymnasium in Mombasa.
KPA needed to win Game Four to recapture the league title on a 3-1 basis after having comfortably won Game Three 73-64 in Nairobi on Saturday.
On Sunday, Flames returned back breathing fire with Angela Okoth and Sarah Chan exhibiting a great game from start, which saw the students go up 14-4. After KPA resisted too much pressure to lead 19-15 in the second quarter, the confident Flames remained in control with a 39-30 advantage at the break.
On resumption, the two coaches George Mayienga (Flames) and Sammy Kiki (KPA) decided to keep their experienced players into action with Annerose Mandela, who scored game high 21 points for KPA stealing the show.
BIGGEST SCORING RUN
KPA raced a 19-13 third quarter run and later registered the biggest scoring run of the duel at 10-0 as they remained down 62-58. Flames later turned the head on the visitors outscoring them 8-0 for the final score 66-62 in their favour to prompt the make-or-make Game Five to decide the winner. Enroute to the play-off final, KPA eliminated Co-op Bank while Flames knocked out Equity Bank.
International Angela Okoth scored 14 points, Melisa Akinyi and Cynthia Irankunda each added 10 for the winners while Donnasama Achieng and Vyonne Akinyi replied with 10 each for the losers.
In the Super eight tournament matches at Nyayo, Scorpion beat Mystics 70-66, Sabres lost 76-35 to Royals while Peter Shilton scored 19 points to lead Wolves in a 63-49 win over Trojans.
In another exciting tie, Knights defeated Rebels 84-67 after leading with a half a basket 39-38 at the break.
