Nkumba Marines are the most in-form team in the second round and they have now won 11 consecutive games.

On Sunday 3rd November, they defeated Falcons to make it 11 wins in a row, the highest this season.

The previous holders of this were Rezlife Saints and Victoria University who each had 10 consecutive wins.

Falcons, just like the game against Sommet, started on the front foot and led the game 15-11 after the first quarter.

Nkumba responded in the second, taking it 16-7 and they took the 90 seconds into the second quarter.

The Marines made a 10-0 run in the first 2 minutes of the quarter and they never looked back.

By halftime, Nkumba led the game 27-22 and they were starting to get in the groove.

Matiok Nhial turned up in the third quarter and he scored 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and a steal to help Nkumba get a 14-point lead with one period left.

The offense of both teams went through the roof in the fourth quarter but Nkumba was still the better side.

They scored 6/10 attempts from the 3-point line and they missed just 2 of 8 attempts from 2-P.

Their 67% FG efficiency in the final quarter helped them score 30 points, Isaiah Mulunda accounting for 14 of those.

On the other hand, Falcons scored 24 points with an 8/19, 42% FG but it wasn’t enough for them to turn things around and Nkumba went ahead to win 80-60.

Match Stats

Nkumba Marines

Matiok Nhail 21 pts, 16 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 4 blk

Steven Matabira 16 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl

Adolf Asiimwe 16 pts, t reb, 1 ast, 2 stl

Isaiah Mulunda 14 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast

Falcons

Bonza Benjamin 15 pts, 13 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl

Joseph Kavuma 12 pts, 12 reb, 1 ast, 2 s

Odeke Bangi Hudson 12 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 5 stl

Lubangankene Enoch 13 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl

Jonathan Aaron 11 reb, 8 pts, 1 stl

Should Nkumba fans be excited?

There’s reason for excitement as a Nkumba Marines fan due to the turnaround in the second round.

Nkumba had an 8-7 record in round  one which was a little below their expectations but they have now steadied the ship.

They lost the first second round game to Sommet but have since been on autopilot and they seem unstoppable.

However, this is not the first time that Nkumba Marines has dominated.

In the 2023 season, they went on a 16-game winning streak but were eliminated in the semifinals by Livingstone in game 3 and were condemned to another season in Division One.

With the competition (a 6-horse race) being similar to that of 2023, Nkumba are looked at as the team that could upset people.

The fact that they are playing well and winning at this stage of the season is key for them and if they can maintain the momentum, who knows, they could be in the National Basketball League (NBL) come 2025.

Nkumba have 2 difficult tests to answer, games against UPDF Tomahawks and Victoria University.

Those 2 games have a lot of significance and could give us a glimpse of how all these sides will play in the playoffs.

Nkumba Remaining fixtures

Miracle Eagles (10th November)

UPDF (16th November)

Victoria University (17th November)