Uganda’s qualification campaign to the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket got off to a losing note, falling to Cape Verde 78-73 on Friday afternoon in Monastir, Tunisia.
The Silverbacks who have formed some sort of rivalry with the Islanders in recent years dug themselves a deep hole in the third quarter, falling behind by as many as 18 points.
Cape Verde put a lot of pressure on Uganda’s guards and scoring became difficult but the Silverbacks did not match the energy on their defensive end as well with the Sharks who had a two-point lead at the halftime break benefiting from Brandon Ssebirumbi’s exit from the game due to foul trouble and assuming a huge double-digit lead.
“We have to give credit to Cape Verde. In the second half, they brought the ball to us, played very good defence and stopped our guards from shooting.
“We broke down in the third quarter but overall I am happy for the boys, this is our first game together, we need to get better in certain aspects but overall I am happy,” Uganda’s head coach Juruni said.
Despite falling behind, the team brought the fight in the fourth quarter exploding for 27 points led by Robinson Opong who netted a game-high 25 points.
Combo guard Adam Seiko contributed 16 points while Tony Drilleba and Ssebirumbi chipped in with 11 points each.
Marcus Armani Santos Silva led the team scoring effort for Cape Verde with 15 points off the bench. Joel Almeida (12), Anderson Correia (11) and Betinho Gomes (11) also scored in double figures for the victors.
The Silverbacks return to action tomorrow (Saturday) to take on Nigeria at 4:00 pm EAT.