Equity blowout APR to close in on Zone Five Championship
What you need to know:
- The Rwandan giants had restricted defending champions KPA to a narrow 50-49 win after leading for the better part of the second half and the match against Equity was definitely going to be tough.
IN DAR ES SALAAM
Kenya's Equity Bank on Thursday humiliated Rwanda Patriotic Army (APR) 70-46 to stay in the hunt for the Fiba Zone Five Club Championships title here.
The Rwandan giants had restricted defending champions KPA to a narrow 50-49 win after leading for the better part of the second half and the match against Equity was definitely going to be tough.
The bankers head coach David Maina, who missed the opening match but arrived in Dar es salaam in time for the second tie, made changes to the starting five, relegating shooting guard Betty Kananu and Seline Okumu who were recently traded from KPA - and instead remained faithful to this previous starters Samba Mjomba, Belinda Akoth, Hilda Indasi, Linda Alando and Rita Oluoch.
The changes backfired as the youthful and swift Rwandans ran rings around the bankers for a comfortable 22-11 first quarter lead.
Sensing danger, Maina brought in Kananu, Okumu, Denis Apondi and Esther Butali and things completely changed as the bankers took command of the game erasing the 11-point deficit to lead 33-28 at the break and 48-31 at the end of the third quarter.
Belinda Okoth, who had a good second half, scored a game high 16 points while Indasi and Okumu scored 12 points each for Equity.
A furious APR coach Charles Mbazumutima accused his players of complacency after the match. Charllote Umugwaneza top-scored for APR with 12 points while Sandra Kantore and Martine Umuhoza scored 10 and six points respectively.
The win ensured Equity take command of the women's competition which is being played in a round-robin format.
In the other match played at the same venue later in the day, KPA men were beaten 80-56 by Smouha from Egypt to finish third in the group.
KPA were due to meet Patriots of Rwanda who finished second in group B in the quarter-finals on Friday night.
The other quarter-final would see Strathmore Blades take on Egyptian champions Al Ahly.
On Saturday, KPA women will take on their bogey side Uganda Christian University in a must-win match for the Kenyan champions.
UCU have beaten KPA in their last two meetings at the championships.
