Defending champion of the Nigeria women premier league, First Bank basketball club of Lagos Saturday continue her unbeaten in the Nigeria domestic scene in the last six years with an emphatic 81-46 points victory over Delta Force basketball club of Asaba.
The Deltan ladies who many thought would create an upset in the game with an impressive showing in the first and second quarter of the Day-3 game were taken to the cleaner by the more determined First bank in the third and fourth quarter.
Though the Elephant Girls as the First Bank team is also known won the first and second quarters (16-13 and 23-11 points) but not without a challenge from the Asaba-based Delta Force team.
The Coach Adewumi Aderemi tutored bankers break away in the third quarter with a big 23-10 points win to enter the last with 62-34 point’s advantage.
The defending champion further extend the margin between it and the Delta Force team in the fourth wining by 19-12 points for a cumulative scoreline of 81-46 points.
Chioma Udeaja led the banker in scoring with 17 points, 9 rebounds and one block, she was joined by fellow teammate Vera Angwe who also scored 17 points and 2 rebounds while Bintu Basmus added 12 points, 2 rebounds and one block to help lift her team above the Delta challenge.
Ogoh Bolum led Delta Force on the scorer sheet with 16 points and 3 rebounds while Esther Igben had a double double of 13 rebounds and 10 points.
New entrant into the Nigeria Basketball Federation/ Zenith Bank Women Premier League, First Deepwater basketball club Sunday lost to defending champion, First Bank basketball club by 67-53 points in an energy sapping game.
The Oil and Gas ladies whose performance in the league drew large crowd to the Indoor Sports Hall of the Kaduna State Sports Council, Muritala Mohammed Square won the first quarter by 20-19 points to put the banker under pressure only to lose the second quarter by 11-06 points to go break trailing by 30-26 points.
The Coach Lateef Erinfolami tutored First Deepwater side came back strongly in the third quarter which it won by 18-15 points to go into the fourth and last quarter by a point deficit but cave to the Elephant Girls in the last quarter due to lose of concentration half-way into the quarter to go down 22-09 points for a cumulative scoreline of 67-53 points.
Coach Erinfolami congratulates the banker for stealing victory but promised them harder days ahead.
Both sides changed lead a record five times while the game was tied seven times the longest by any sides since the first jump-ball last Thursday.
Kelechi Obasi led the floor for the First Deepwater side with 12 points and 4 rebounds while the duo of Patricia Chukwuma and Ijeoma Uchendu added 11 points each, First Bank captain, Funmilayo Ojeladi led the floor with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Amaka Adibeli poured in 11 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals while Chioma Udeaja contributed 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Other results:
Dolphin 76-36 FCT Angels
Customs 52-49 Plateau Rocks
Delta Force 57-50 Sunshine Angels
Day-5 Games:
AHIP Vs Plateau Rocks
First Bank Vs Customs
FCT Angels Vs Immigration
Sunshine Angels Vs Dolphin
By: Olusegun Ikuesan
FIBA Africa