The Uganda Gazelles finished strong in their final game of the 2023 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket with a thorough beating against Guinea.

They finish in 7th place, their best ever finish at the competition after having finished 9th in 1997 and 10th in 2015.

The Gazelles started strongly in the first quarter closing it with a 4 point difference.

The gears were switched up in the second quarter when the Gazelles started to capitalise on every opportunity they got and soon extended their lead to 15 as the first half closed.

Things continued to get worse for Guinea as the lead grew up to 27 midway the third quarter but the Gazelles just kept coming and coming.

Guinea tried to put up a fight but things weren’t going their way as they kept making error after error and their shots weren’t falling whereas the Gazelles were just thriving in all aspects.

Midway the fourth, the Coach brought on even more hungrier players in Ritah Imanishimwe, Maria Najjuma, Evelyn Nakiyinji and Ekone and they just kept piling the pressure eventually making it a 41 point game.

Match facts

Hope Akello was the most efficient player despite missing a double double by 1 point. She registered 9 pts, 11 rebs, 3 ast and 4 stl in the 21 minutes she played. That last minute 3 point shot was also a highlight for the game.

Janon Otto who has been the most impactful player for the team registered 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and a block. She was also very efficient from the field with 60% FG.

Jane Asinde returned having missed the previous game due to an injury sustained in the second quarter against Rwanda and she was nothing short of phenomenal. She posted 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 57% FG.

Mellisa Akullu also strong in the 16 minutes she played with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 80% FG.

The game also saw all the Uganda players involved for the first time in the tournament.

Just 2 players were going hard and racking up the numbers for Guinea.

Fatoumata Jallow scored 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

Masseny Kaba was the Achilles heel for Uganda as she registered 21 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals ans 3 blocks.

Guinea scored just 14/65, 15% FG, 5/29 from 3 point line and they scored just 19 of the 31 free throws attempted.

Uganda on the other hand had 31/71, 44% FG, 4/18 from 3 point line and 19 of the 30 free throws.

They outclassed Guinea off the glass with 58 rebounds compared to43 rebounds. They also shared the ball far more than Guinea with 19 assists against 12.

Uganda capitalized on the mistakes by Guinea and thus scored 24 points from turnovers, 19 fast break points, 22 second chance points compared to 9, 2 and 7 for Guinea respectively.

The bench was also well utilized as they scored 36 points compared to just 4 for Guinea.

Key takeaways

The girls showed that they wanted this win from the onset, playing aggressive and with so much zeal.

The turnovers in this game were reduced to just 16, compared to 30 in the previous game. This showed that their was progress in terms of ball handling.

Each person got some good minutes under their belt, and as observed the showed their hunger on the court, contributing in which capacity they could.

The foul situation hasn’t improved much, as they registered 24 and sent Guinea 30 times to the free throw line.

All the players scored except Evelyn Nakiyinji who missed out on all the attempted 5 shots.

The point guard position still has many questions, Lydia Babirye, Flavia Oketcho and Evelyn all played some good minutes and made contributions, the coach though has to figure out which one will offer more on the floor.

It was good to see Ritah Imanishimwe on the floor and getting some points. She attempted 8 times from deep and managed to bury 2.

Except Otto, the team has lacked another shooter and if any of the Guards can work on their shooting, they will most likely be in the Coach’s favor.

Maria Najjuma foul situation still wanting, in the 16 minutes she played, she got fouled out. This was also experienced back during the Zone V qualifiers, her ability to attract fouls is very worrisome and if she’s to take her game to the next level, that’s one of the key areas she need to work on.

Overall, the girls played well in the tournament and they should pat themselves on the back and be proud of the work they have done for the Nation.

Photos 📸 Toni Kamau/ FUBA and FIBA