The Uganda Junior Gazelles will be heading to the semifinals of the FIBA U18 Women’s African Championship after defeating Tunisia 69:53 in the quarter-finals on Wednesday 11th September,2024.

The Junior Gazelles came into the game having finished 2nd in Pool C with wins against Zimbabwe and Nigeria and a loss against Egypt.

The team came into the game with one job, to qualify for the semifinals, a hurdle that the previous U18 team couldn’t jump in 2022.

The Junior Gazelles started the game well making a 13-1 run but Tunisia closed the quarter well, making a run of their own to finish 15-20.

Tunisia continued with the momentum and soon took the lead after 4 minutes of the second quarter.

Uganda managed to make a couple of defensive stops and by the end of the quarter, they led the game 32:28.

Tunisia switched up a couple of defensively and they began fire offensively too.

They made a 17:6 run, and they got a 7-point lead, their highest in the game.

In the next 2 minutes, Uganda made a run, and they tied the game, and to make it better, they took a 1-point lead as the third quarter closed.

Coach John Omondi went all in on the full court press in the fourth quarter and Tunisia had no way out.

Uganda managed to force multiple turnovers and they were rewarded handsomely with 22 points while conceding just 7 and they won the game 69:53.

Talking points

Pressure defense

Coach John Omondi trusted his team to execute and they went all out on the pressure defense in the fourth quarter.

In the first 2 minutes, just one point was scored by both teams but Tunisia had registered 6 turnovers, a positive sign that the defense was working.

Uganda went on to make an 11-0 run, 8 of those being Points from Turnovers. 

Uganda made things very difficult for Tunisia, sliding well, running allover the floor and containing as much as possible.

Tunisia players found themselves trapped and ended up making haywire passes which Ugandans capitalized from.

Tunisia made 18 turnovers in the fourth alone and Uganda managed to get 13 steals in the same time.

The line up of Modesta Anyango, Shiphrah Kiranda, Resty Nanangwe, Immaculate Adongpiny and Bushira Namayanja was super instrumental in the final quarter and the 5 managed to register a total 24 steals.

Shiphrah Kiranda Impact

Shiphrah Kiranda was so instrumental in this game because she had +/- +35 while playing 33 minutes.

In the 7:30 minutes that she rested, Tunisia had beat Uganda 24:05.

That first time she was withdrawn in the first quarter,  Tunisia made a 6:0 run until she was brought back.

The second was even worse because Tunisia beat Uganda 15:2 and they took a 7-point lead.

Resty Nanangwe (MVP)

Resty Nanangwe has been carrying Uganda’s offense for stretches. Every time that the Junior Gazelles needed a basket, she was there to give it to them.

Resty made 13/22 from the field, 12/17 2P, finishing with 27 points. She was also active defensively with 7 steals and 8 rebounds to her name. She had the second highest +/- with 21.

Resty was nominated for player of the group stages, tap here to vote for her.

Match Stats

Uganda

Resty Nanangwe 27 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast, 7 stl, 1 blk

Shiphrah Kiranda 10 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl

Immaculate Adongpiny 12 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 7 stl, 1 blk

Modesta Anyango 8 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 7 stl

Tunisia

Rim Arbi 10 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl, 3 blk

Nour Horchani 13 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl, 1 blk

Malak Chehidi 6 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl

Match Facts

Resty Nanangwe has scored 20+ points in 3 of the 4 games so far.

She has also been nominated for the best player in the Group Stages.

Tap here to vote for her.

Uganda awaits the winner between Nigeria and Egypt, whom they played earlier in the Pool Stages for a chance to make the finals.

The two finalists will earn a spot in the 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in the Czech Republic