- KIU Titans 62-73 Warriors
KIU Titans 106-75 win over Kampala University on the opening weekend of the 2019 National Basketball League season seems like a distant memory.
Titans have since lost three games on the bounce, all against sides they will be challenging with for the title.
While the KIU showed improvement in the defeat to City Oilers last Friday, the 73-62 defeat to Warriors was littered with lots of issues for 2017 finalists but most vivid of them was the six-point first quarter.
Warriors started the game with high intensity and went on a 12-0 run to start the game before Titans halved the deficit with a 6-0 run. However, Warriors closed the opening ten minutes with 8 unanswered points.
Ronnie Mutebi’s charges maintained the double-digit lead through the second quarter and led 37-26 at the long break.
Warriors looked destined for a comfortable win after assuming an 18-point lead midway the third quarter but Titans chipped away and trailed by 11 points heading into the final quarter.
As Warriors offense froze, momentum swung into KIU’s favour at the start of the third with Brian Ssentongo scoring the first five points of the period. The gap was wiped out in five minutes and Titans were within a point (58-59) with just over 3 minutes to play.
However, Stanley Mugerwa hit a jumper at the free throw line and Michael Bazangu added a tough lay-up as Warriors forged an escape route. Jonathan Kambala pulled up for an open 3 before Bazangu iced the game with another trey during a span in which Titans defense was in sixes and sevens.
The loss was KIU’s third and they dropped to 1-3 while Warriors registered their third consecutive win.
Warriors face rivals Power on Friday, May 3 while Titans return to action on Saturday, May 4 as they host Falcons in Kansanga.
