KPA down Swish, cruise into final

Defending champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) have advanced to the final of the National Women’s Basketball Premier League after completing a 3-0 sweep of TH3 Swish in their best-of-five semifinal playoff series.

The Dockers sealed their place in the final after cruising to an 83-42 victory over Swish in Game Three at Makande Gymnasium in Mombasa on Saturday.

KPA had earlier won Game One 80-42 and Game Two 62-49, both played at Nyayo Gymnasium in Nairobi.

The hosts made a flying start, racing to a 25-6 lead in the opening quarter before Swish responded to win the second quarter 15-9.

KPA, however, went into the halftime break with a comfortable 34-21 advantage.

The champions regained control after the break, winning the third quarter 21-7 before completing the rout with a 28-14 victory in the final period.

The trio of Djelika Tounkara, Alima Doumbia and Yvonne Okello combined for 43 points for KPA.

Elsewhere, Stanbic Aces moved to within one victory of the final after edging Equity Hawks 56-53 in Game Three at Nyayo Gymnasium, Nairobi, to take a 2-1 lead in their semifinal series.

Stanbic need only one win from the remaining two games to secure their place in the final, while Equity must win both encounters to keep their title hopes alive.

Equity dominated the opening half, winning the first two quarters 13-4 and 17-16 to take a 30-20 lead at the break.

Stanbic, however, staged a strong comeback after halftime, taking the third quarter 14-9 before completing the turnaround with a 22-14 victory in the final period.

Beryl Odhiambo led Stanbic's scoring with 14 points, while Mercy Wanyama top-scored for Equity with 16 points.

The two sides will meet again tomorrow at the same venue in Game Four, with Stanbic seeking the victory that would send them into the final.