Women’s AfroBasket Quarterfinals | Thursday, July 31 | EAT
- Uganda vs. South Sudan – 3:00 pm
- Mali vs. Mozambique – 6:00 pm
- Cote d’Ivoire vs. Senegal – 9:00 pm
- Nigeria vs. Cameroon – 12:00 Midnight
When Uganda’s Gazelles take the floor of Palais des Sports de Treichville on Thursday afternoon to battle South Sudan in the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket quarterfinals, history will be on the line.
The Gazelles will be looking to break the quarterfinal barrier and advance to the final four for the first time.
Head Coach Nick Natuhereza says the players’ mood is right heading into the clash, but emphasises the need to manage the emotions that come with playing a familiar opponent and taking care of the basketball.
“We are where we were the last AfroBasket and we are trying to see how we go over this hump and hopefully we will do enough. The mood is right and people seem to be excited about the challenge,” Natuhereza said after the Wednesday practice ahead of the game.
“The first thing we need to take care of is the emotions of the occasion, considering that these are opponents we know from our zone that we played in the qualifiers. You could say there is a little bit of a rivalry that we need to navigate and not allow the emotions to get to us and concentrate on the court.
“It helps that we are playing opponents we already know and I don’t think we are going to be too surprised by the things they will try to do. We have been preaching that it’s important to take care of the basketball. In games where we have taken care of the ball we have been in control and won convincingly, and in the games where we have not done that, we have made the game complicated, like we did against Senegal.”
The first win for South Sudan, a team that qualified for the tournament via a wild card, was against Zone V rivals Egypt and sent them to the quarterfinals.
The Bright Starlets were relentless on defense in the second half, putting their length to full use and that should be a concern for Uganda’s coaching staff.
Power forward Rose Macuei, who played in Uganda for multiple seasons with the UCU Lady Canons, and center Maria Teresa Gakdeng, along with Adut Bulgak, Nyamer Lual and point guard Delicia Washington, form the foundation of the Bright Starlets.
“We have put ourselves in a great position to qualify for the semifinals, but I think we need to work more on our turnovers because they can cost us in the long run and we need to work on our rebounding,” Asinde said.
Uganda’s skipper Jane Asinde, Melisa Akullu, who has been running the floor in transition and shooter Paige Robinson, along with Hope Akello, hold the key to Gazelles’ offense.
The Gazelles have won both games against the Bright Starlets during the ZoneV Qualifiers in 2023 in Uganda and early this year in Egypt.
