NAIROBI, Kenya, May 21 – Ulinzi Warriors edged out Equity Hawks by a basket, beating the bankers 68-66 to force the semi-finals of the National Men’s Basketball League into Game Four, halving the series 2-1.
Equity led 2-0 after winning both opening encounters, and would have sailed to the final had they won, but Warriors gave themselves a chance forcing Game Four on Sunday.
“It was a spirited fight from the players and I am really grateful for their performance. We came here with the sole purpose of bouncing back and I am glad we did,” said Bernard Mufutu, the Warriors head coach after the duel.
Equity had a six-point lead after the end of the first quarter, leading 24-18 and it seemed they were headed for another win.
However, the military side reduced that to a single basket by halftime, scores standing at 38-36.
The third quarter intensified with both teams swinging end to end in attack.
With 3:45 left to play, skipper Eric Mutoro converted one of his two free throws to tie the game at 48-48, but Equity would rally to establish a four point gap with the last quarter to come.
Lenson Kisia converted from a turnover in possession while Kelvin Kigotho’s jump shot with under 20 seconds to play gave Equity some comfort.
The tempo however picked up in the final quarter and they established a three-point lead with less than six minutes to play with William Ochieng’s foul and a basket.
With 3:34 to play, Equity rallied to tie the game at 62-62 with Moses Wanjara converting one of his two free-throws.
The see saw in the game continued, though Ulinzi would blame themselves for not stretching the score further as they were not clean off the board offensively.
With 49 seconds of play, a fast break saw Warriors go ahead, Mutoro picking up a rebound. They led 67-66. With eight seconds to play, Tiberius Menya won a foul and from the free-throw line converted one of the two, as the soldiers established a two point lead.
Equity took the opportunity to call for a time out which would give them possession in the Ulinzi half when play resumed. However, they could not draw level as their three attempts at earning three-pointers came off the rim with Ulinzi good on the rebounds.
