Fourth Window:
Fri: Angola 84-62 Uganda
Sat: Uganda 80-91 Ivory Coast
Sun: Guinea 76-69 Uganda
Table – Group E
- Cote d’Ivoire: 7-0
- Angola: 5-2
- Cape Verde: 4-3
- Nigeria: 3-4
- Guinea: 1-6
- Uganda: 1-6
Uganda Men’s National Basketball team, the Silverbacks, were left reeling after the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
The Silverbacks had their misery compounded after losing all their three games in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to slip bottom of Group E.
The results all but end Uganda’s faint hopes of qualifying to the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Japan, Indonesia and Philippines, with a window to spare.
Uganda lost to Angola on Friday before falling to hosts Ivory Coast and Guinea on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
They will face the same teams in February next year for the fifth window at a yet to be confirmed venue.
Uganda is at this stage partly because of Mali’s withdrawal from the previous stage.
From the first round, three teams were required from a four-team group to advance to the second round.
After Mali’s withdrawal due to players strike, the development left three teams (Uganda, Nigeria and Cape Verde) in Group A and the trio automatically marched on to the second round.
All teams carried their results from the first round to the second round.
The second round is being played under two windows (4th and 5th), with the remaining 12 teams pitted into two teams of six, with each team play each new team in their group twice.
Results Highlight No Preps
Uganda left for Abidjan on Tuesday night and arrived on Thursday, a day before their opening game against 11-time African Champions Angola.
Without timely release of funds from Government, the team failed to hold a training camp and had no training session prior to kickoff.
And the roasting was imminent.
On Sunday, against a lower ranked Guinea, the Silverbacks felt that this was the game they had to win, and Guinea probably had the same in mind.
The Silverbacks led 51-47 going into the last quarter, but a poor run in fourth saw George Galanopoulos’ side eventually succumb to a seven-point loss.
Robinson Opong scored 20 points while Jimmy Enabu added 15 in a losing effort for Uganda.
Ivory Coast who won their three games at home, become the first African team to book a ticket to the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
