Lutwama was also quick to dismiss any suggestions that the refereeing on the day played a part in his team's defeat.
KIU Titans had won eight games in a row before losing 69-68 to UCU Canons on Friday night at YMCA.
The first game of the season against defending champions City Oilers was the only loss the Kansanga-based side had known until Friday.
And if they needed any wakeup call, UCU's come back from 21 points to win the game in the fourth quarter opened their eyes.
"We needed that as a wakeup call," head coach Julius Lutwama said after the game.
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17:40 - 11.05.2023
BASKETBALL UCU Lady Canons look to extend winning streak against Miracle Ravens
The National Basketball League is set for a Friday night showdown between Miracle Ravens and UCU Lady Canons.
"We had won eight in a row, and maybe this will be a wakeup call for us," he added.
The Titans defeated UCU Canons 55-44 in the UCU Invitational Tournament before the season started and were considered favourites going into Friday's games.
But without the services of Saidi Amisi and Collins Kasujja, Lutwama's charges paid the price for lapses in the second half of the game.
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23:18 - 03.02.2023
Basketball KIU Titans have eyes on NBL title
Players from last season and the new acquisitions were all in the meeting alongside head coach Julius Lutwama and his assistant Raymond Muhumuza.
Peter Sifuma drained a three right in front of the Titans' bench, and players were seen indicating to the referees that the shot had been taken from inside the D.
"We did not get the results that we wanted; we had moments where we had lapses. We didn't use some good moments that we had in the game, we misused them when it mattered the most. I think that's why we got the results that we had." Lutwama noted.
Lutwama was also quick to dismiss any suggestions that the refereeing on the day played a part in his team's defeat.
"I blame it on us, not the referees. We didn't do what we were supposed to do when it mattered the most.
"As for referees, it's a discussion I don't want to get to, they did what they could do, they did their job. It's not entirely about the referees, it's entirely about us but we will correct moving forward."
"You know when you're in a team, it's all about you, so it's all about us, how we use the time and how we play, not the referees, the referees are not part of our team.
"Is there any referee that scored? If you want to beat such groups, win early, which we did and we misused at the end."
"We will recover; it's a marathon not a hundred meters. It's a learning curve. We had become so comfortable eight wins run! We were becoming so comfortable. This is a wakeup call, going into the second round."
The game started with the Titans shooting for fun, but the offence got static down the stretch.
Sifuma's three came with 13 seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter, and KIU failed to respond.
The defeat saw KIU drop to an 8-2 record.
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