The Gazelles fell to Egypt 65-62 on game day 2 of the Afrobasket Zone V Qualifiers but there were a lot of lessons to learn from this game.

With Egypt having 2 wins in the bag already, they are on the path to finishing in the top 2 and as things look, they are most likely to finish as number one.

Uganda will face South Sudan and if they get a victory against them, they will have put themselves in a very good position to finish in the top 2.

Both Uganda and Egypt are the teams that are looked at as the favorites to reach the finals and this game was a precursor of what to expect in the potential final.

Uganda trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half but managed to crawl back in the game and took the lead with about 4 minutes left in the game.

Here are some of the lessons that the Gazelles learned in this game, and hopefully, when the 2 sides meet, they will have adjusted.

Defense was the key for Uganda more so in the second quarter and the second half.

In the second quarter, Uganda forced Egypt into 10 turnovers and this was mainly due to the pressure.

Egypt loves to apply pressure and force you into mistakes, but Uganda did the same to them, and Egypt suffered.

All the players were playing extremely well, staying in the faces of the men, closing out and contesting shots, and making it very difficult for Egypt.

Shakirah Nanvubya did an excellent job on Reem Moussa in the second quarter,  played very well 1v1 on her, and took her from 8 assists in the first quarter to 1 in the second.

Having a dispensable player is very key and in this game, Shillah Lamunu was her and did her part really well.

Shillah played excellent defense against the guards, Asrar Bakr and Reem Moussa.

She was running through screens, always staying ahead being causing all sorts of problems for the ball handlers.

As a result, Uganda went 9-1 in the time that she played in the second quarter but unfortunately, she did not return till the fourth quarter.

When she was reintroduced, she just kept doing the exact stuff she did in the second quarter and caused disruption to the Egyptian offense.

She was the only Ugandan player with a positive +/- and she finished with +11.

Uganda needs to have players like that on the court and Shillah showed the Coach and all Ugandans why she deserves to play.

Another player like that is Agatha Kamwada who plays very aggressively on defense. The only question mark with Agatha is, Can she play like that without fouling?

Bushira Namayanja is also a very good defender but this stage may be too big for her.

Nonetheless, Uganda has some players they can rely on to disrupt the offense of the opponents, and that will be very key.

Jamila Nansinkombi and Claire Lamunu did not have very good games but the only way is up for them.

Claire missed a couple of opportunities from under the rim while Jamila made 6 turnovers and just 1 pointin 22 minutes.

The interesting about Jamila is that her turnovers came from ‘bad decisions’. She always beat the first defender, made a drive to the basket, and found herself trapped.

The fact that she almost always beat the first defender is good because now all she has to do is assess her options and make better decisions.

Having been away from the team for the first game and sessions in Cairo could also had an impact.

The fact that she has been away for so long may also have impacted her performance. Perhaps she felt a lot of pressure to perform and it impacted her performance.

Nevertheless, the players’ performance is expected to become better from here onwards, and games against South Sudan and Burundi are good games to pick up rhythm.

Finding a solution for Nadine ‘Selawi’ Mohamed is another thing that Uganda will look to in case these teams meet again.

Nadine scored is the most lethal shooter on the Egyptian team and taking her out significantly affects their offense.

She had 3/4 from the 3-point line in the first quarter. When Uganda found a solution for her, she made just 2/7 in the remainder of the game.

She is a very good catch-and-shoot player and having a player in her face makes it inefficient.

If Uganda can have 2 dispensable players, maybe one can take care of the Point guard while the other marks Nadine but when you give her space, she can be explosive.

Attacking the paint is another thing that we saw Uganda can do very well, particularly Jane Asinde.

Continuously attacking the basket caused Egypt problems, and they landed on the wrong side of the fouls.

Jane alone got 9 fouls drawn and this was due to the aggressive nature that she attacked the basket with.

Jamila showed us glimpses, and Melissa Akullu and Claire Lamunu are also expected to improve, and in case they are all firing, this is an avenue to hurt Egypt.

Finally, efficiency from the 3-point line is another element that Uganda needs to address.

The Gazelles did not generate high-quality shots and that explains  the low conversion (2/17).

The team needs to create some open shots for shooters and that will be another aspect that the opponents will have to think about while defending.

Also, converting from a distance makes Uganda a threat all around, in transition, defense, the interior, and outside the perimeter.

Uganda takes on South Sudan on Wednesday at 7:00 pm and Burundi on Thursday at 16:30.

On Friday, they will have rest and in case they are in the top 2, this means ample time resting time and resetting for the final.