Pentecost University College’s bright start to the 2016 Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges (UPAC) Basketball Championship took a drastic turn as the team failed to make it out of the preliminary stage for the second straight year.
Pentecost University suffered a 27-37 loss to Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in Zone A’s outstanding game. The game was held at the University of Ghana on Friday April 8 during Zone G qualifiers which had the host team beat Marshalls University College to top the zone and advance to the quarter finals.
Having won two straight games in the opening rounds of the Championship and looking odds on favorites to secure top spot in Zone A, Pentecost’s quest for a first ever quarter final appearance was taken away from them after losing by more than six points.
Through the early quarters of the game, GIMPA looked to be heading out of the Championship as they trailed Pentecost by as many as 10 points. However, a deep three pointer by big man Paul Eta changed the face of the game for both sides as GIMPA seized the initiative to cancel out the deficit and build a healthy lead.
Visibly frustrated by referee calls, Pentecost’s play degenerated into a mix of turnovers and ill advised shots. Their irritations boiled over when head coach Nii Kwei Kortey summoned his players to leave the court. Normalcy was restored but GIMPA never looked back as it piled on the goals it desperately needed to progress to the next round.
GIMPA has since been drawn in Group A where they will face two-time winners Accra Polytechnic, University of Development Studies-Tamale and Zone G champions University of Ghana in the quarter finals.
Incessant rain prevented the game from being played on the original day and also cut short Ho Polytechnic’s final group game against Ghana Technology University College with the former leading 17-8 at half time. Ho Poly was awarded a walk on victory and maximum points but failed to progress due to inferior goal difference.
The 2016 UPAC Championship is headlined by Rexona, supported by Fanyogo, MTN and CAL Bank in partnership with Basketballghana.com, Y FM, TV3 and Ghana Sports Newspaper.
