Watoto cut their 2 game losing streak after bagging a 58-52 victory against UMU Flames in an incredible fourth quarter comeback on Wednesday 9th October at YMCA.

UMU Flames has now lost four games in a row and it is… in the second round.

Ahead of this game, both teams had registered a couple of losses and they aimed to get back to winning ways.

UMU led the game 15-11 after the first quarter but on significant statistic stood out. The Flames had 17 rebounds to Watoto’s 5.

UMU maintained the rebounding advantage, 16-10, in the second quarter but Watoto played better collectively and they managed to get a couple of defensive stops.

Watoto also made a 10-0 run and they managed to take a 2-point lead though but UMU turned the tables and led the game, 29-27 as halftime approached.

Each team had their moments in the third quarter but the finished touch was missing for both of them.

UMU Flames was still in the lead and they looked like they would see the game through given the number of attempts (54-44) they were having compared to their opponents.

Watoto upped their game defensively in the fourth quarter. To make things even better for them, UMU Flames made many mistakes and turnovers. These mistakes helped Watoto come back in the game.

In the fourth quarter alone, UMU made 15 turnovers which was half of their total 30 in the whole game.

Despite collecting more rebounds, 14-6 in the fourth quarter, UMU had only 9 attempts, 10 less than Watoto.

11 of the 20 points for Watoto in the fourth quarter were points from turnovers. This showed how UMU pretty much handed the game to their opponents.

Coaches’ Reactions

UMU Flames Head Coach Otim Gerald talked about why his team was una”ble to win the game.

“Watoto just wanted the game more than us. They played better and had more in terms of collective effort both offensively and defensively, i guess my team didn’t come to play”

He also talked about what four consecutive losses means for the team;

“It’s not a bad thing for teams to lose. The question is, do we pick up our pieces and correct where we have lost? Losing four games is not a bad thing to me. The bad part would be if we are not able to correct. We still have more games to go and they will come back and set things straight”

Watoto’s Head Coach Jonathan Egau commented on what helped his side secure the victory;

“Our mind was to win this game and we competed throughout. We shot the ball well in the second half but also stepped up a little on our defense. We boxed out, picked rebounds, limited them on second chances but also stopped their penetration and it became hard for them to score”

He also commented on what this victory means for them as they still seek a playoff spot,

“UMU is one of the best teams in the league right now. Getting a win over a top 3 seeded team is something that fuels us to believe. Players star to think that we can win the league, and we can go and compete in the finals. This is one way to motivate players to work hard and believe that any game in this league we can come out if we play well and stick to the script and win comfortably”

Match Stats

UMU Flames

Gprdon Gai 15 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk

Joshua Duallo 15 pts, 20 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk

Torach Brian 9 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl

Watoto

Muganzi Daniel 16 pts, 6 reb, 1 stl

Elijah Nsereko 9 pts, 8 reb, 2 stl

Fortunate Kamugisha 7 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl, 2 blk

Victor Mwesigye 8 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 4 stl

UMU Flames have now lost their last 4 games and 6 of their 9 round 2 games. They have already clinched a playoff spot but the seeding will also be very important for them.

They face the already relegated Old Tymers next on Sunday 13th at YMCA.

Watoto, on the other hand, have won 2 of their 4 second round games. They are still some distance from the playoff spots.

They will be facing Rezlife Saints next on Saturday 12th in Entebbe. On Sunday 13th, they will play against Entebbe Archers at KIU Kansanga.