Falcons defeated Diamonds in the Sun 57-53 to register their first second-round victory on Wednesday 6th at YMCA.

This victory meant that the chances of Diamonds in the Sun making the playoffs became even thinner and their focus would turn to surviving relegation.

Ahead of this game, Falcons had lost all their first 12 games in the second round despite having leads at halftime in most of those games.

Diamonds in the Sun had lost their previous game against Entebbe Knight Riders and securing a victory against the “punching bag” in Falcons was imperative for them.

Diamonds led 19-14 after the first quarter but their offense slowed down in the second and at halftime, the game was tied 28 a piece.

The offensive struggles for Diamonds continued in the third quarter as they made just 4 field goals the whole quarter.

Falcons made a 17:5 run to make it a 12-point game with 3 minutes left and at that point, panic had set in for Diamonds.

Diamonds made an 8-0 run in the next 2 minutes but the 3-point shot by Odeke Hudson gave Falcons a good cushion, 7-point lead with one quarter left.

Falcons extended their lead to 10 in the fourth quarter but Diamonds fought back to make it a 1-point game with 3:09 left.

It was a frustrating final 3 minutes for Diamonds in the Sun’s player.

With Falcons leading by 4 points, Diamonds missed all their 8 free throws in the final 3 minutes and just like that, Falcons sealed the victory, 57-53.

Match Stats

Falcons

Odeke Bangi Hudson 16 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl

Lubangankene Enoch 13 pts, 14 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk

Joseph Kavuma 12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast

Diamonds in the Sun

Opio Brian 15 pts, 13 reb, 4 stl, 1 blk

Riak Rout 9 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk

With this victory, Falcons now have a 6-22 record but the most important thing was to get something positive in the second round.

They take on Watoto on Saturday 9th November and Old Tymers on Saturday 16th in their final games of the season.

These are games that they have circled on their calendar but the game against Watoto has a lot of significance for Watoto.

Diamonds in the Sun lost what can be regarded as the easiest fixture in their final 6 games and with their 10-15 record, they need a lot of wins in order to survive relegation.

They face UMU Flames and Rezlife Saints in back-to-back games on 9th and 10th.

If they lose both games, it will me more trouble for them but a victory in either or both boosts their chances of survival.