ANU, USIU-A post mixed results in KBF league

Equity's Hilda Ndegwa (left) and Dorsila Okode of ANU in a past match. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

African Nazarene University (ANU) Wolfpacks beat their guests, United States International University of Africa (USIU-A) Tigers, 57-49 in a Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Men's Premier League match.

While Wolfpacks overcame Tigers, their Women's Premier League side, Panthers, suffered their ninth straight loss at the hands of 2015 winners USIU-A Tigers.

Panthers were totally outplayed despite having home advantage, crumbling to a disheartening 43-77 beating. A slow start for Tigers proved costly as they were forced to play catch-up throughout the match.

Keen to move out of the relegation zone, Wolfpacks, who until Saturday were bottom with 13 points from four wins and five losses, made their intentions to bag maximum points known from the onset.

Playing on familiar grounds, Wolfpacks settled in the match, first controlling the pace as Tigers struggled to contain them. Their good show would see them win the first quarter 15-5 before extending their lead to 32-18 at the breather.

Tigers coach Ancet Wafula's half-time peptalk would revive their fighting spirits as they dominated the third quarter to take it 21-15 and reduce the deficit to just eight.

However, Wolfpacks were not ready to let anyone take the win away from them as they staged a good fight in the fourth quarter to score 12 points against Tigers 10 and carry the day.

In the Women's Premier League title hunt, USIU-A Flames moved into the top two, tied on 25 points with their Strathmore University counterparts Swords, as well as the defending champions, Equity Bank Hawks, who beat the University of Nairobi (UoN) Dynamites 75-29 to make it 11 wins out of 14.

Flames, on the other hand, are having a good season and have only lost one match to former holders Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). Today, Flames and Hawks will face off, with the bankers expected to exert revenge on the students who beat them in the first leg.

In Women's Division One, national secondary schools' champions Butere Girls High School showed no respect to their Kisii University seniors Vipers whipping them 97-36.