NAIROBI (Kenya) - Two teams, the Ulinzi Warriors and Les Hippos, have secured their place in the semi-finals of the ongoing 2025 East African Basketball Championship Cup (EABCC) after topping Groups A and B respectively.
Umoja will play Gambela City, who finished third in Group B without winning a single game, while Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) will play Tanzania's Stein Warriors in the semi-final matches, which are set to take place on Wednesday, 8 November.
This is how things evolved on Game Day 3:
Ulinzi humble Gambela to remain perfect for semis slot
Ulinzi Warriors secured back-to-back victories after defeating Ethiopia's Gambela City 82–58, remaining unbeaten in the process. Brans Nzioka emerged as the top scorer in the match with 29 points.
Elisha Odhiambo had a slow start offensively, scoring only six in the first half, but erupted in the second to add a further 12 points, most of which came in the final stanza. He combined with Nzioka to score more than half (47) of the team's total.
Odhiambo was also instrumental in defence, picking up 10 rebounds — one more than captain John Washika — to complete a double-double, the only one for the soldiers.
Nzioka added seven steals and six rebounds, finishing with three assists and an efficiency rating of 29.
"We came into the championship keen not to underestimate any team and are happy to qualify for the semis undefeated. We expect the competition to get tougher as we advance but we will be ready. However, we have a few lapses to work on based off our performance in the group stage. We did not play our best. We, especially, need to work on our defense," Ulinzi Warriors forward Nzioka told FIBA.basketball.
The Kenyan military side struggled to contain the visitors early on; their defence was their main undoing in the first half, which ended 24–17, 16–15, with the Warriors carrying a shaky eight-point lead into the break.
Gambela rallied to 46-41 early in the second half, but keen to create distance between themselves and the Ethiopians, the military side went on a 14-3 run to make it 60-44.
However, defensive lapses ate into Ulinzi's lead as Pangi Omod led a resurgence, leaving his side trailing 62-54 heading into the final stanza.
The soldiers continued their onslaught in the final period. The chemistry between Nzioka and Odhiambo rallied the side to their first 20-point lead at 76–56 with just over five minutes to play. A 20-4 final quarter sealed the win for the side coached by Bernard Mufutu.
"Odhiambo and I have been teammates for a long time, playing on the National 3x3 team together, and the coaches trust us to exploit our chemistry. I believe that if we are in sync, the team will do well. Simeon Rapudo, who provided seven assists, also understands my style of play, and that has been key for me in this competition. We are hoping to see these aspects of our teamwork pay off in the semi-final," Nzioka further explains.
Kenyan derby hands Les Hippos semis ticket as Umoja fall
In the Kenyan derby, which was a decider match for Group A, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) bounced back to beat Umoja 75–64. This result left the home sides in second and third place in a group led by Burundi's Les Hippos on points difference.
KPA looked almost unrecognisable from the disjointed side that lost to Les Hippos in their opening match on Monday. They defended better, albeit with lapses that threatened their lead in the second half.
The first quarter was closely contested with the two sides trading leads, but Umoja, the Kenyan league losing semifinalists, took a 20–17 lead after the opening period. KPA had initially led 14–10, but Ariel Okall's three-point play tied the match at 14.
KPA kept fighting as Umoja rallied to make it 22-17. The Dockers reclaimed the lead at 23-22 with 8:24 left in the second period. A three-point shot from Ken Wachira towards the end of the game had the Mombasa-based Kenyan finalists, KPA, leading 34–31 at half-time.
Coach Sammy Kiki's team came off the break with hot hands, scoring 15 in the opening five minutes to establish a double-digit lead (49–39). Umoja struggled on the boards, and KPA capitalised on this to maintain their advantage with second chance points, finishing with 26 to Umoja's 14.
The Dockers' bench, led by Bramwel Mwombe and Wachira, who both scored in double figures, showcased their depth against a Umoja side missing key players. James Mwangi, whose presence in the paint was expected to benefit his team, did not play, leaving Okall as coach Isaac Munywoki's only option at centre.
Faheem Juma (21) led a late rally in the final quarter, which his side won 20–19, but this was not enough to beat Salim Kisilu-powered KPA, who finished bottom of the group despite this victory.
'We badly needed this win after yesterday's loss. Our transition defence was poor in our opening match, but we learned from that loss and made adjustments, getting the results. Now we need to shift our focus to the qualification round. We must work on our fouling, improve our rebounding and keep shooting, as we rely on that more to win," said Kisilu, who was the top scorer for the side with 20 points, six more than Mwombe, who came off the bench to play for just under 20 minutes.
Umoja dominated the paint 30–24, but the Dockers were superior in almost every other respect. They scored 21 points off their opponents' 13 turnovers and conceded 13 points off 16.
"Missing Mwangi really affected our rebounding, and they exploited that.' All in all, it was a good match. Now we're shifting our focus to the qualification match, which gives us the chance to play one more match, get more practice and improve our teamwork before the semi-finals. Heading into Wednesday's game, we need to stay solid and do a better job of guarding the three-point line, as we allowed KPA, who have very good shooters, to score a lot from there. I believe we have a good team and we have a chance of winning," Okall said.
FIBA