Uganda Silverbacks captain Robinson Opong has urged his teammates to respond quickly after an 88-53 loss to Senegal in their 2025 FIBA AfroBasket opener on Tuesday at the Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda.
It was Uganda’s third meeting with the Lions of Teranga in the tournament’s history, and once again Senegal’s size and pace proved too much. The Silverbacks started well but struggled on the boards, which Opong pointed to as the turning point.
“We underperformed,” he admitted. “It was hard to contain them on the glass. When you don’t rebound against a team like that, you give up too many transition points.”
Uganda improved their rebounding in the second quarter, but a poor third period let Senegal pull away. “We need to fix that part of our game,” Opong said. “We can do it, we have what it takes.”
Despite the defeat, Opong believes the team can bounce back. “These tournaments are like a roller coaster. We’ve seen it before and we know we can compete at this level. I’m looking forward to the next game and the guys will be ready.”
The Silverbacks face Mali on Thursday at 4:30 pm EAT in a match that could define their Group D hopes.
