First Bank Basketball Club inched dangerously close to an early exit from the 2025 FIBA Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) after suffering an 82–53 defeat to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in their second Group B matchup on Sunday at the Prince Abdallah Al Faisal Sports Hall in Cairo, Egypt.
The loss, their second in a row, leaves the Nigerian champions in a precarious position, with their quarterfinal hopes now hanging by a thread.
Determined to bounce back from their opening-day setback, First Bank entered the game with urgency but quickly found themselves outpaced by a relentless KPA side.
The “Elephant Girls” trailed 19–13 after the first quarter before a difficult second period saw them outscored 26–11, creating a gap they were unable to close.
First Bank struggled to cope with KPA’s high tempo, physical presence, and crisp ball movement.
A combination of turnovers, missed defensive assignments, and second-chance points allowed the Kenyan side to maintain control throughout the contest.
Wandoo Marvis Hembam emerged as First Bank’s best performer, finishing with nine points— but her contribution was not enough to shift the momentum.
The statistical contrast highlighted the gulf on the night: First Bank converted only 18.4% of their two-point attempts, while KPA were far more efficient, shooting 52.3% inside the arc.
Winless after two outings, First Bank now face a must-win final group game against Cameroon’s FAP.
Even a victory may not be enough, as their hopes of advancing could depend on results from other groups in the race for a “best losers” qualification spot.
KPA, meanwhile, continued their perfect run in Group B, sealing their place in the knockout rounds and strengthening their credentials as one of the tournament’s early title contenders.
The 2025 WBLA format divides teams into three groups, with the top two from each and the two best third-placed teams progressing to the quarterfinals. Teams that fall short will proceed to classification matches.
 after suffering an 82–53 defeat to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in their second Group B.){kind=link}