EYES ON THE PRIZE: USIU and KPA register first wins as Ulinzi on a go-slow over allowances

Cynthia Idankunda (right) of USIU Flames dribbles the ball against Lucy Ohanga (left) of KPA during their Kenya Basketball Federation national league match at the KPA Makande GYM, June 201, 2016. USIU Flames who are the current league champions, lost 57-83. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDAARD].

United States International University and Kenya Ports Authority won their opening games at the ongoing 2016 Fiba Africa Zone V Clubs Basketball Championship in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

It was the perfect start the Kenyan teams were praying for and they were delighted to have found their groove at the National Stadium Indoor Arena.

USIU struggled to defeat JKT Stars of Tanzania 68-61 in a see-saw affair cheered on by a capacity crowd yesterday morning.

Likewise, eight-times winners KPA also struggled to contain Ubumwe of Rwanda with a 62-51 victory.

It was evident the clash between USIU and JKT Stars was going to be a tough one, going by previous records, but the Kenyan students were buoyed by impressive results they had delivered in their previous four meetings. They won in all occasions.

The match started at a high pace, with both sides scoring at will. USIU broke the deadlock to win the closely-contested opening quarter 14-12, with Zipporah Odhiambo’s last minute three pointer coming in handy.

Nelly Mwanaisha placed JKT Stars on the commanding lead in the second quarter, which the hosts held on to win 20-16, before the teams proceeded for halftime.

USIU Head coach George Mayienga and his assistant Abel Nson were an agitated lot. For most of the time, they paced up and down the touchline, issuing unending instructions. That USIU were at some point lethargic, was telling. And the tacticians were not happy at all.

Mayienga’s call for several time-outs salvaged USIU’s sinking ship as they won 21-13.

The victory in the period did not go down well with the home crowd at the gymnasium.

Despite enjoying massive support from their home fans, the hosts failed to contain the Kenyans, who called for numerous time-outs, just to interrupt their opponent’s tempo.

USIU held on until to the final whistle to carry the day with an overall slim victory of 68-61.

Odhiambo scored 16 points for students, while Cynthia Irankunda added 18. Mwanaisha was JKT Stars’ lead player with 19.

Despite the win, Mayienga read the riot act, warning his players against complacency.

“This is not the way we normally play. We struggled. Our shots in the first half were wayward and we failed to convert open fouls. Our performance in this match was below par,” said Mayienga.

USIU captain Angela Okoth believes the team is yet to acclimatise to the hot Dar es Salaam weather, but assured they will perform better in their second match.

Meanwhile, KPA head coach Anthony Ojukwu said they will keep their calm as they aim to win the trophy, for the 10th time, after their hard-earned victory over Ubumwe.

At the same time, Ulinzi Warriors were on a go-slow yesterday after players accused officials of denying them allowances.

“Each player is supposed to get Sh23,000 as allowances, but we haven’t seen this money. We are not going to play until we receive what is meant for us,” said a player on condition of anonymity.

The players said the officials have booked them in ‘substandard’ rooms with a daily rate of Sh1,500. They claimed their accommodation rate should be Sh5,000 per day.

The players also confided to this writer that they deliberately lost their opening game against City Oilers of Uganda 93-55 “to teach the officials a lesson as they were ‘doing business with us'”.

Contacted, Ulinzi head coach William Balozi denied the allegations and said they lost the match due to lack of proper warm-up.