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S. GitahiAWBL: KPA begin podium hunt with rematch against CNSS in Cairo
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 12.12.23. | 10:37
Another Kenyan side - Equity Hawks - will also be in action on Tuesday when they face ASPAC of Benin in their second Group B fixture at the Sporting Club Alexandria Arena from 1600 EAT
Kenyan women basketball champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) will begin their hunt to finish among the podium places when they take the floor for the first time Tuesday in the inaugural Africa Women Basketball League (AWBL) in Cairo, Egypt.
After sitting out on Day One of the 10-team tournament, the recently crowned FIBA Africa Zone 5 AWBL champions will kick off what promises to be a brutal stretch of four consecutive group stage games, with an evening match-up against Democratic Republic of Congo’s CNSS at the Sporting Club Alexandria Arena from 1900 EAT.
CNSS, who famously lost to KPA in last year’s edition - formerly known as FIBA Africa Women’s Champions Cup - by a score of 59-69 on 13 December 2022 in Maputo, will be looking to get their act together after suffering defeat to defending champions Alexandria Sporting Club (ASC) by a score of 98-41.
The defending champs 🇪🇬 Alexandria Sporting Club cruise to victory in their first game, winning on a big margin!#AWBL pic.twitter.com/I1BjggHztL
— FIBA Africa Women Basketball League (@fibaawbl) December 12, 2023
Speaking to the press in readiness for the tournament, KPA head coach Anthony Ojukwu confirmed that his squad “is mentally and physically prepared to compete with the best teams in the continent” and that their goal was to finish in the podium positions.
Asked about his group, which has CNSS, Alexandria Sporting Club, Nigeria Customs and Universite Douala, Ojukwu said: “They are all good teams and we don’t want to disrespect anyone. Just get to our games and handle each team as it comes.”
Similar tournament aspirations were voiced by team guards Natalie Akinyi and Victoria Reynolds - who won the Zone Five MVP Award - with their hope being maintaining continuity from their success in Kigali, Rwanda to bettering their sixth place finish last year.
Joining the team will be new acquisitions Aminata Samassekou, and the American duo of shooting guard Antoinette Bannister and her counterpart Dyana Pierre.
Another Kenyan side - Equity Hawks - will also be in action on Tuesday when they face ASPAC of Benin in their second Group B fixture at the Sporting Club Alexandria Arena from 1600 EAT.
The former Kenyan champions on Monday got their championships off to a bad start; losing 80-55 to Angola’s Inter Clube.
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