NBL Finals: JKL Lady Dolphins Stay Alive

Sunday, September 1
*JKL Lady Dolphins 72-54 UCU Lady Canons (1-2)
*City Oilers 72-70 KIU Titans (3-0)

JKL Lady Dolphins kept their National Basketball League title defense hopes alive with a 72-54 victory over the UCU Lady Canons in Game Three of the finals on Sunday at Lugogo.

The win allows JKL to halve the series deficit, now trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven showdown.

Having lost the first two games of the series, the Lady Dolphins came out with renewed vigor and determination.

Their improved play was evident from the start, thanks a large part to point guard Evelyn Nakiyingi’s composure after coming in for Flavia “Flirsh” Oketcho inside the first quarter.

Notably, the win came despite a rare off-night for their star scorer Brenda Ekone, who managed only four points—her lowest output in recent memory.

However, the team rallied around double-double performances from Hope Akello, who contributed 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Jane Asinde, who added 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Agatha Kamwada, facing her former team, had one of her best performances of the season, scoring 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

For UCU, Shakira Nanvubya and Hajara Najjuko were the only players to reach double digits, scoring 16 and 12 points respectively.

The Lady Canons struggled offensively, managing to take the lead only once—at 15-14 at the end of the first quarter.

UCU’s shooting woes were evident as they missed 23 of their 28 attempts from three-point range and were out-rebounded 59-38.

Game Four of the series is set for Wednesday, where JKL will aim to even the series, while UCU will look to regain their momentum and move one step closer to the title.