Thursday, August 26
*Guinea 60-61 Central African Republic
*Cape Verde 66-70 D.R. Congo
*Angola 68-71 Rwanda
*Egypt 81-87 Tunisia
Friday, August 27
*Uganda Vs Cameroon, 1pm
*Kenya Vs Nigeria, 4pm
*Mali Vs Ivory Coast, 7pm
*South Sudan Vs Senegal, 10pm
After their poor start against Senegal, Uganda will seek to make amends when they face Cameroon in their second game at the ongoing 2021 FIBA Afrobasket in Kigali, Rwanda.
The Silverbacks were battered, to say the least, in their opener against Senegal on Wednesday and they now return to the flow once again.
The Silverbacks trailed 21-14 after one quarter and 40-31 at the half before the wheels fell off in the second half in which they were limited to just 24 points.
None of the players were in their shape on the night, according to coach George Galanapoulos after the loss who added that “we are going watch the film and we are going to get better.”
The story of Uganda’s poor preparations has been mentioned over and over again, but the team must put that aside, and play better before they are sent packing.
They have got to move the ball a little better, create more open looks and defend tirelessly.
Adam Seiko was impressive on his debut thanks to his 12 points but Arthur Kaluma struggled for the large parts while Ishmail Wainright and Robinson Opong looked like shadows of themselves.
“Senegal was a great team, its a tough loss but we know what we are capable of doing. We are here for a reason and we can always play better,” said Wainright.
“No excuses, our turnovers costed us, they also had a lot of easy tip-ins. We learn from our mistakes. Onto the next one.”
Uganda’s Probable First Five – Jimmy Enabu, Adam Seiko, Arthur Kaluma, Deng Geu, Ishmail Wainright
Can Short-Handed Cameroon Deliver?
Cameroon suffered a major blow after they were forced to forfeit its opener against South Sudan following positive COVID-19 tests to four players and one official on Wednesday.
Consequently, they lost the game by forfeit with South Sudan awarded the match by a 20-0 scoreline.
The Central African side received zero classification point, and against Uganda, they will be starting from scratch.
However, FIBA stated that further testing is being carried out for Cameroon as they continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation before deciding their status of the game.
Cameroon have size, which is more bad news for Uganda who struggled against Senegal’s Gorgui Dieng and co.
They boast with experience having reached the final 2007. They were fifth in 2017, the last time the competition was played and will be hoping to move more steps forward this time round.
Coached by Lazare Adie Ngono, Cameroon qualified for the AfroBasket 2021 after finishinh second in Group C of the Qualifiers.
FIBA statement did not reveal the names of the four players who returned positive tests in Cameroon, but any of Aristife Mouaha, Benoit Mbala and Kenneth Kadji are some of their key players to watch.
With Senegal destined to top the group, Cameroon and Uganda will be fighting to take any of the next top two slots in the tricky group.
It should be noted that the winners of each group qualify automatically to the Quarter-Finals while the teams that finish second and third will compete for the remaining four spots in the Last Eight. The bottom team in each group will be eliminated.
How To Watch:
The games will be broadcast live on StarTimes. You can also watch them on Sanyuka TV (Next Media) and Wan Luo TV (Vision Group).
For those living outside Uganda, you can also access the games on beIN SPORTS and Canal Plus.
You can stream as well using the Livebasketball.tv ( www.livebasketball.tv/home ) but after paying subscription.
Follow updates on The-SportsNation social media.
