UoN Dynamites and Th3 Swish win to keep play-offs hopes alive

KPA and Th3 Swish players in action during their Kenya Basketball Federation Women’s Premier League match at Ulinzi Sports Complex last month. [KPA Media]

University of Nairobi (UoN) Dynamites yesterday beat Safe Spaces 70-65 in a Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Women’s Premier League match played at the Nyayo Gymnasium.

Dynamites carried the day to increase their chances of moving up the table and ending the first leg in the top eight.

The defeat saw Safe Spaces remain stuck in the relegation zone. Jane Kemunto scored a match-high 19 points to anchor UoN to their third win. Rosina Adhiambo and Captain Joy Busuru also had a good day in the office, hitting the double digits with 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Linet Obonzo top-scored for Safe Spaces with 17 points, with Didi Were and skipper Millicent Ouma complementing her effort with 16 and 10 points.

It was evenly contested in all the quarters with no indications of a clear winner. However, the gods of basketball favoured the Dynamites, who are struggling to regain their footing after a dull start to the season.

Dynamites outlasted Safe Spaces to take the first quarter 16-15 and then played to an 11-11 tie in the second for a narrow 27-26 half-time lead. They fought on in the second half to win the third and fourth quarters 23-20 and 20-19 and bag maximum points.

In another encounter, Th3 Swish thrashed rookies Dream Girls 95-56 to register their fifth win and consolidate their place in the top eight.

Th3 Swish had a field day with Dream Girls, outplaying them from the tip-off to the buzzer. They won the first two quarters with an identical score of 16-11 to enjoy a 10-point advantage at half-time with the score at 32-22.

The Ariel Okal-coached side was unstoppable in the second half, dominating the game to win the third quarter 29-18, then sealing the victory with a towering 34-16 score in the fourth period.

In the Men’s Premier League, defending champions Nairobi City Thunder beat Strathmore University Blades 79-60 on Friday night to maintain their unbeaten run. David Deng and Ariel Ortega led Thunder with 19 and 12 points, whereas Dan Mbugua top-scored for Blades with 15.