After their 74-61 defeat to the KIU Titans, all eyes were on the KCCA Panthers as they came against the Victoria Crocs who had lost 2 in a row.

The Panthers had a lot of pressure to perform given their horrific second round so far.

However, given their dominant 68-43 win against the Crocs in the first round, their confidence of getting a result was high.

It was a rocky start to the game for both teams with just 2 field goals scored in the first 4 minutes, each team with one.

However, baskets started to drop and the Panthers seemed to be more efficient.

They led the game 20-12 after the first quarter with 3 3-point shots made.

Victoria made a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 1 point.

The Panthers put up a mini 6-0 run but it did not go far.

In the final 4 minutes of the half, KCCA made 3 points while Victoria made 9 to make it 29-28 at halftime time, the Panthers in the lead.

KCCA committed turnovers on their first 2 possessions in the third quarter but they scored on all their next 3 to take a 5-point lead.

What transpired in the next 5 minutes was an offensive debacle for the Panthers.

They made 8 turnovers on consecutive possessions and Victoria scored 10 points from turnovers in their 14-0 run to take a 9-point lead.

The Panthers seemed to settle late in the quarter and they closed with a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 2 points.

The fourth quarter was the moment of truth and Victoria never showed up when it mattered the most.

The game was tied 54 apiece with 5:44 left but the Crocs only scored 3 points in the remainder of the game.

Surprisingly, the Panthers had a stretch were there made 4 straight turnovers but Victoria couldn’t punish them.

KCCA was just more efficient in clutch time. They scored on 4 of their 5 possessions and this helped them seal a 67-57 victory.

Match Stats

KCCA Panthers

Toussaint Mampuya 11 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl

Stephen Otoa 10 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk

Victoria Crocs

Joshua Maiba 15 pts, 10 reb, 2 stl

Chuol Nyuot 12 pts, 18 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk

Ronald Ayume 12 pts, 3 reb, 3 stl

Bienfait Lola 11 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl

The KCCA Panthers have won their third game of the second round and have an 11-8 record.

They take on Livingstone next on 28th June at Abja Park.

Victoria Crocs have lost 3 games in a row and have an even 8-8 record.

They face the JT Jaguars next on Wednesday 25th at Lugogo.