By: Dorothy Nekesa
Uganda’s Gazelles kicked off their title quest for Zone V Championship with a 53-61 loss to arch-rivals Kenya on Tuesday at the Lugogo Indoor Arena, Kampala.
The Gazelles who brag of home advantage took long to gel into the first period of the game as they gave away a couple of turnovers.
Trailing 7-16 in the opening quarter Kenya turned the screw further with a nine-point advantage (34-25) at the stretched break.
The Gazelles through Rita Imanishiimwe returned stronger in the opening third quarter posting a 15-5 run. She managed to convert three free throws to hand her team a 40-39 lead with 2:53 remaining in the third quarter.
However, the Kenya Lionesses replied to finish this period a point ahead (42-43) and into the last quarter of the game.
Kenya returned with the kind of determination a defending champion should possess to keep rivals at bay, as the number one contenders.
This re-energized last quarter saw Kenya outscore Uganda to garner an eight points margin well-deserved victory.
Uganda’s attempt through Jannon Otto with 11 points and 10 points each from Brenda Ekone and Hope Akello, fell short to hand the home crowd a wild celebration.
More scores for Uganda came through Christine Akinyi’s double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds while Mercy Wanyama scored 15 points coupled with Madine Okot’s 20 rebounds.
With just one ticket to Afrobasketball available, the Gazelles need to pull up their socks and defeat Egypt today if they are to return to the conveted tournament for the first time since 2015.
The final competition is due from July to August in Kigali, Rwanda as the host nation already has a slot at the continental showpiece.
Photo Credit: FUBA Media
