Wednesday, September 14 (YMCA)
•KIU Rangers Vs UCU Lady Canons – 6:30pm
•City Oilers Vs UCU Canons – 8:30pm
KIU Rangers will hope to make amends when they meet UCU Lady Canons in game two of the Women NBL Playoffs semifinal series.
The Rangers were poor, to say the least, in their game one 62-43 loss on Sunday at YMCA, and another defeat will leave them on brink of elimination in this best of five series.
KIU’s Game one performance casts a big doubt in the team’s attempt to their first ever trip to the final series.
“It was a false start, my team was off offensively coupled with wrong decisions for most of the team,” KIU Rangers coach Roger Sserunyigo admitted during an interview with The-SportsNation.
“We were out-rebounded 57/35. UCU played a good zone defense. The offense was also well structured and it caused us a lot of trouble.”
The Rangers managed just four points in the first quarter and couldn’t recover thereafter.
The team missed 26 of their 30 attempts from three while only Uwineza Ninette (10) scored in double figures.
“The girls are ready to give it a fight whatever it takes. We didn’t execute any of the planned tactics against UCU. They have promised to bounce back really good.”
Away from their failure to execute on offense, the Rangers must devise a good plan and adjust on defence if they are to slow down Rose Akon.
Akon scored 16 points and 27 rebounds despite not being at her best.
They will have to build a wall in front of her path and pack the paint as well, and that may call for more minutes for an industrious Florence Nanyonga and a solid Clarisse Ntumba to get more minutes.
Else, UCU look in control to face winner between JKL Lady Dolphins and KCCA Leopards in the finals, the former leading the semis 2-0.
