ALEXANDRIA (Egypt) - She might have had a quiet championship in the opening three games that Equity Bank has played, but 21-year-old Judith Pantaleo saved the best for last as she was the hero of the day, scoring 24 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals as the bankers beat Cameroon's Overdose Up Station 76-73 at the buzzer to finish third in Group B of the ongoing Africa Women's Basketball League (AWBL). 

Pantaleo, who was not part of the squad during the Zone Five qualifiers in Kigali, was switched on from the get-go, racing to a 6-point run in the paint to give the bankers the lead at 6-2 with the difference remaining at 10-6 off of two free-throws from Grace Malu and a Melissa layup.

Judith Pantaleo's effort proved vital in the Hawks' nail-bitting win Overdose Up Station

Sema Ekah, however, pulled one back to bring the 5-time Cameroon champions to within a basket at 10-08 before Pantaleo made it a five-point game. Marie la Grace was fouled on her way up, knocking down the resulting throws to see her side trail 13-10 in the opening five minutes.

Overdose kept knocking, keeping the game close, as they cut Equity's 18-12 lead to just one at with a 5-point run as the period ended with a 24-22 scoreline in favour of the Kenyan side.

Betty Kananu bagged a trey to get action going in the second quarter as the bankers went on a 9-4 run in the opening give minutes to lead 33-26, before going further for their biggest lead yet at 39-29.

Equity Bank Hawks, who benefited from a FIBA Africa wild card, closed their Group B campaign with a 2-2 mark

Raissa Mogoun, however, orchestrated an Overdose comeback, the side scoring 12 in five minutes to cut Equity's advantage to just three at 41-38 heading to the halftime break. 

After the game Hawks coach Benson Oluoch shared his thoughts on his team's remarkable win: "This was an amazing win for the team. The resilience and peace of mind the team had to inbound the ball quickly and go for that final shot shows how the young players have grown into the championship.

"We shot the ball well on threes and took leads but down the stretch we got carried away with shooting from outside and didn't drive to the basket as much as we should have.

Benson Oluoch

"Our time management was also not good and these are areas we will need to work on going forward. We are still struggling to take care of the ball, having finished with 30 turnovers and Overdose [Up Station] scoring 30 off of that. We have to have a conversation about that," Oluoch pointed out. 

Akinyi knocked down back-to-back threes to take the bankers' lead to 47-40 in the opening minute with Pantaleo adding her own for 51-42.  Kananu joined the trey run to give the Kenyan side a 10-point lead at 54-44 witdrive to the h 5.49 minutes to play. 

However, Overdose Up Station capitalised on some costly turnovers for Oluoch's charges to go on a 12-0 run that gave them the lead at 56-54, with two and a half minutes on the clock as the period ended with the two sides tied on 59 points. 

The final quarter was a proper dogfight, Susanne Eben and Meriam Mabou taking Overdose ahead 61-59 and 63-61 before Pantaleo did what she had been doing best for her side, shooting from behind the arc to restore Equity's lead. 

Equity's biggest lead in the quarter was 4 at 73-69, and advantage that was short-lived as Oversode kept finding ways to beat the bankers defense. 

Despite the loss, Overdose Up Station (1-3) advance to the Quarter-Finals where they will take on the winner of the match between Sporting and KPA

It was a dramatic finish as veteran Sandrine Ayangma made a perimeter shot to tie the score at 73 with 5 seconds left. A quick inbound to skipper Akinyi and she raced down the court to find Pantaleo, who was having the game of her life perfectly positioned on the left side of the court, rising for a three that went in and before the ball could even hit the floor all the Equity players were all over their hero of the day as tears floored freely from both ends of the court. 

"Pantaleo is a good player. We have had to talk to her and try to get her comfortable playing at this level. Her performance today shows she has finally settled in and we are excited to see what she brings to knock-out stages," Kananu said after the game. 

The side shifts their focus to the quarters where they are to meet the loser between Kenya Ports Authority and Alexandria Sporting Club. As for the possibility of a Kenyan derby in the Last Eight, coach Oluoch says they are ready to face whichever team finishes second but admits going up against the dockers would make his scouting easier as these are players that he knows well. 

Kananu echoed his sentiments arguing that this would be a matchup that could go either way and they will bring their A-game as they look to make the Final-Four. 

FIBA