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The win over South Sudan for the Gazelles was vital for a side that forced its way back in with a hard-fought 86-85 win over Egypt Wednesday night.
Uganda Gazelles’ 74-53 win over South Sudan left them in a much better place than they were after that loss to Kenya in the opener. But it was not confirmation that Uganda will be in Sunday’s decider for a ticket to AfroBasket.
There are still games to be played and these can affect the standings in different ways. What is for sure now is that South Sudan are out of the picture and cannot make it to Sunday’s decider.
Having lost to Egypt in the opening game, South Sudan had to beat Uganda to stay in contention. Their win over Rwanda will not have a bearing on the final standings.
Ebony Hoffman’s side, however, can further complicate the mathematics with victory over Kenya on Friday.
The defending champions beat Uganda but still have to face South Sudan and Egypt. Wins over South Sudan and Egypt for George Mayienga’s side would set up a second meeting between Kenya and Uganda in the decider.
Egypt are on a 1-1 record and must find another win to stand a chance. And the only game that counts in that direction is their clash with Kenya on Saturday.
Should the three teams, Uganda, Kenya and Egypt have identical 2-1 records in the end, the tie break would the involve results amongst the three.
Gazelles on course
The win over South Sudan for the Gazelles was vital for a side that forced its way back in with a hard-fought 86-85 win over Egypt Wednesday night.
Thursday’s game started like a proper contest but turned out to be a one-sided affair as the Gazelles blew away the neighbours in the later stages of the third quarter to create a 19-point difference.
Brenda Ekone and Hope Akello led the Gazelles in scoring, 14 points apiece while Jannon Otto added 13. Maria Najjuma cleaned the glass and recorded 18 rebounds and 10 points while Flavia Oketcho’s defense set the tone for the entire team.
It was a complete performance by the Gazelles, who will get a day off on Friday having played three games in a row.
Head coach Alberto Antuna will hope that the game with Rwanda on Saturday comes when Uganda are already into Sunday’s decisive clash. Kenya and Egypt will face off before that and if there is still any mathematics by then, it will be settled after that encounter.
Whichever way you look at it, the Gazelles have given themselves a chance.
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