Equity Dumas showed tremendous resilience as they levelled the National Men’s Basketball Premier League final series 1-1 against Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) with a nail-biting 70-69 triumph in Game Two at the Nyayo National Stadium Gymnasium.
The intense matchup, filled with emotions, resulted in two expulsions and will now head to Mombasa for the remaining three games.
The game took an intense turn during the first quarter when Victor Odendo from KPA and Shem Omuta from Equity were both ejected following a brawl that nearly escalated into a physical altercation.
The drama continued in the third quarter when Equity received a technical foul after KPA’s assistant coach, Anthony Ojukwu, deliberately spilt water on the court to disrupt the game.
Equity’s coach, Carrey ‘T9’ Odhiambo, had to be restrained by fellow coaches on multiple occasions as he vehemently protested.
Despite trailing 45-36 at halftime, Equity mounted an impressive comeback, eventually seizing the lead in the final quarter. This crucial victory ensured that the series would head to Mombasa with the teams on equal footing.
Equity had a balanced scoring effort, with four players reaching double figures. Victor Bosire led the way with a game-high 16 points, followed closely by Faheem Juma with 15, and James Mwangi and Titus Musembi contributing 11 each. Job Byron was KPA’s leading scorer with 15 points.
KPA started strongly, going on a 6-0 scoring run, but Equity quickly regrouped and took control until the altercation that led to the ejections with 3:32 remaining in the first quarter.
KPA initially appeared comfortable and poised for another victory after their Game One win of 62-53. However, Equity’s tenacity allowed them to narrow the gap.
In the third quarter, fueled by the enthusiastic crowd at Nyayo Gymnasium, Equity continued their comeback. With just under two and a half minutes remaining, Mwangi sank a shot from beyond the arc, propelling Equity into the lead.
Despite KPA regaining the advantage by the end of the third quarter, Equity maintained their fighting spirit.
Equity asserted their dominance in the final stretch, building a 10-point lead with 4:14 left on the clock when Victor ‘Electric’ Ochieng executed a powerful lay-up.
However, KPA staged a remarkable rally, closing the gap to just five points with 2:02 remaining. In the dying seconds, with Equity holding a slim four-point lead, Eugene Adera was fouled but only converted one of his two free-throw attempts.
KPA called a timeout with five seconds left, managing to score a basket through Martin Anthony. However, with possession and a one-point lead, Equity ensured they ran down the clock and secured the victory.
