NBL Playoffs | Women | SF | Game 1
- JKL Lady Dolphins 46-57 UCU Lady Canons
UCU Lady Canons drew first blood in the National Basketball League women’s semifinals, stunning defending champions JKL Lady Dolphins 57-46 in Game One of their best-of-five showdown under the bright lights of YMCA Court, Wandegeya, on Wednesday night.
The evening belonged to Shillah Lamunu, who turned the paint into her own stage with a gritty double-double of 8 points and 12 rebounds.
Beyond the box score, Lamunu’s sheer presence shifted the momentum, bullying the boards, dictating pace, and attacking JKL’s defense with fearless intent.
She was flanked by Hajara, whose 10 points added a timely spark, as UCU flexed their depth and defensive steel.
JKL’s Hope Akello tried to carry her side with 11 points, but her solo effort wasn’t enough to shake the defending champions out of their funk.
The Dolphins looked unusually flat, struggling to find rhythm against UCU’s suffocating defense.
The Canons outmuscled them 54-47 on the glass, snatched 14 steals, and swatted away two shots—breaking JKL’s flow before it could ever catch fire.
Shooting woes haunted both sides, but JKL suffered the worst of it—going ice-cold from deep (3-of-29) and missing easy looks inside (13-of-37). UCU, though equally poor from three (4-of-27), thrived closer to the rim, sinking 20-of-38 shots in the paint to create the cushion they needed.
The defending champions now find themselves in unfamiliar territory, trailing the series and needing answers fast.
Game Two tips off Friday, October 3, at the same venue, where JKL will desperately hunt for redemption, while UCU will aim to tighten their grip on the semifinal spotlight.
