Eldonets Ladies and Stanbic Aces yesterday won their respective Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Women’s Premier League matches played at the United States International University of Africa (USIU-A) grounds.
Eldonets rallied from behind to beat University of Nairobi (UoN) Dynamites 67-48, while the bankers defeated Strathmore University Swords 56-46.
The victory saw the bankers narrow the point gap between them and defending champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), who are currently on top of the table, to one. The unbeaten Dockers top the table with 18 points from nine outings, while Aces are second with 17 from eight wins and a loss.
Captain Sheila Cherotich led Eldonets from the front with 17 points, proving once again why she is the right person for the job.
Syliviah Masese scored 14 points to help the visitors register their fourth win and consolidate their spot in the top eight. Jane Kemunto also had a good day out, emerging as the top joint scorer with Cherotich, but her effort was not good enough to help the Dynamites avoid a sixth defeat.
A dull second-half show proved costly for the students who were chasing maximum points in a bid to move up the ladder and avoid ending the first leg in the danger zone.
The first quarter was balanced with both sides matching each other point to point to end in an identical score of 16 points. The students who are seeking to break into the top eight and enhance their chances of sealing a play-offs slot were the stronger side in the second quarter.
Dynamites scored 18 points against Eldonets' 12, to take a six-point half-time advantage with the score at 34-28. However, their promising start counted for nothing as they fumbled in the third quarter, allowing the opponent to score at will. Eldonets capitalised on their dismal show to score 20 points against four and take a 48-38 lead.
There was no looking back for the Eldoret-based side as they dominated the fourth period, winning it 19-12 to seal the victory. Today, Eldonets will face off with Strathmore Swords in search of their fifth win, while the students will be looking to bounce back from yesterday’s defeat to Stanbic Aces.
In the Men’s Premier League title chase, Stanbic Shields beat Kisumu Lakeside 61-47 to cement their place in the top eight. A dominant display in the third quarter secured maximum points for the bankers, who trailed Lakeside 27-29 at half-time.
They returned stronger in the third period, calling the shots in both offence and defence. This would see them totally outplay Lakeside to score 17 points against three and take a 12-point lead going into the final 10 minutes. They won the fourth quarter 17-15 to chalk their sixth win and consolidate their top-five spot.
