Uganda knocked out of Afrobasket Championship
Sep 29, 2015
Without Claire Lamunu and Sharon Karungi, the Uganda Gazelles' debut at the FIBA Women's Afrobasket Championship was always doomed to an early conclusion.
By Charles Mutebi
FIBA Women's Afrobasket Championship
Results
Mali 73 Uganda 55
Wednesday
Ninth-place playoff
National Basketball League
Women: Nkumba v Rhinos
Men: Warriors v Rhinos
Without Claire Lamunu and Sharon Karungi, the Uganda Gazelles' debut at the FIBA Women's Afrobasket Championship was always doomed to an early conclusion.
The threat became reality after Tuesday's 73-55 loss to Mali in the Cameroonian capital Yaoundé. Timothy Odeke's side were hammered for the fourth time in five games to finish fifth in Group A, one position outside the quarterfinals.
Peace Proscovia scooped 12 points and 12 rebounds for Uganda while Flavia Oketcho added a team-high 16 points in a fixture that Mali blew open with a 17-6 second quarter. In the end, the Gazelles showed plenty of admirable grit but suffered for the lack of a consistent scoring punch.
That, of course, would not have been a problem if the sweet-shooting Karungi and tireless Lamunu were not stuck in the US. Although it's not certain how far the Gazelles would have gone with their best two scorers in the line-up, reaching the quarters would have been a realistic target.
Consider the fact that Egypt, thrashed by the Karungi-and-Lamunu-led Gazelles in the last year's qualifiers, have already won three games in Group B, including a 53-52 win over defending champions Angola.
But 'what-if' is a common refrain in Ugandan sport and it's better off just remembering the tournament as the one that introduced Uganda to the African stage. It's worth cherishing Monday's 55-43 victory over South Africa and learning from the beatings of Mali, Cameroon, Mozambique and Gabon. And hope to see them soon.
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