NPBL : Defending champions Dolphins suffer narrow defeat to IGP Queens

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye in Port Harcourt

Defending champions Dolphins suffered a narrow 48-46 defeat to IGP Queens in a keenly contested Matchday 2 encounter of the second phase of the Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League in Port Harcourt.

Dolphins struggled to find their rhythm in the opening quarter, as IGP Queens edged the champions 13-9 to establish an early advantage.

The champions responded in the second quarter, tightening their defence and reducing the deficit with an 8-6 scoreline to trail by just two points at halftime.

Dolphins returned from the break with renewed purpose and produced their best spell of the game in the third quarter, outscoring IGP Queens 16-10 to overturn the deficit and take a 33-29 lead into the final quarter.

However, IGP Queens refused to buckle under the pressure. The two sides battled fiercely in the closing period, scoring 11 points apiece, but the earlier advantage proved decisive as IGP Queens held on for a hard-earned two-point victory.

The result leaves Dolphins with two defeats from their opening two games of the second phase, putting added pressure on the defending champions to turn their fortunes around in the remaining fixtures.

Dolphins head coach, Okechukwu Ottah, admitted that the defeat was difficult to take but urged his players to remain united and use the setback as motivation to improve.

“As a coach, I’m really, to be honest, really sad and devastated, so are the players. But at the end of the day, I still need to be with my players. We’re a team. I can’t distance myself from being a team and be a coach and they’re the players,” Ottah said.

The coach acknowledged that Dolphins are currently undergoing a rebuilding process, stressing that the team is working to develop a stronger understanding both on and off the court.

“We’re trying to recoup ourselves and understand ourselves more better on and off the court. So, it’s a rebuilding phase for us, and I know that our loss today was really a hard one for us to swallow,” he added.

Despite the disappointing start to the second phase, Ottah insisted that the champions would not allow the two defeats to derail their campaign.

He said the technical crew and players would assess their shortcomings, make the necessary adjustments and approach the remaining games with renewed determination.

“We need to look at ourselves and be like, okay, what did we not do well in the two games we have lost? What do we have to do the rest of the games that we have? That is what we have discussed with the team, and we are good and we are ready to go into the next game,” he stressed.