Uganda’s U18 girls’ basketball national team, the Junior Gazelles are through to the semi-finals of the FIBA U18 Women’s Afrobasket 2024 after a hard-fought 69-53 victory over Tunisia in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, September 11, in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Junior Gazelles will now face Nigeria in the semi-finals, who handed a shock 66-51 defeat to Egypt in the quarter-finals.
Led by star player Resty Nanangwe, who is having the tournament of her life, Uganda set the tone against Tunisia early, racing to a 13-1 lead in the first quarter.
Nanangwe, who contributed a game-high 27 points, along with 8 rebounds and 7 steals, was instrumental in ensuring the Gazelles stayed ahead despite Tunisia’s resilient fightback.
The North Africans managed to cut the deficit to just four points by halftime, trailing 32-28.
In the third quarter, Tunisia even took a brief 7-point lead, but Uganda responded with a determined run to level the score at 45-45, eventually regaining a slender one-point advantage going into the final quarter.
Coach John Omondi’s decision to press Tunisia in the final quarter paid off as Uganda forced multiple turnovers, outscoring their opponents 22-7 in the final period to secure the win and a spot in the semis.
Nanangwe wasn’t the only standout for Uganda, as Shiphrah Kiranda, Immaculate Adongpiny, and Modesta Anyango all contributed significantly on both ends of the court.
Kiranda recorded 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Adongpiny and Anyango combined for 20 points and 12 steals.
Tunisia’s effort was led by Rim Arbi, who posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to withstand Uganda’s late-game surge.
With the victory, the Junior Gazelles set up a semi-final clash with Nigeria, who pulled off a surprising 66-51 upset over Egypt in their quarterfinal match.
Uganda previously defeated Nigeria 80-64 in the group stages and will be looking to replicate that performance in their semifinal showdown scheduled for Friday, September 13, at 4 PM.
A win in the semis would earn Uganda a spot in the final, where either defending champions Mali or Cameroon await, having defeated Rwanda and Angola respectively in the quarters.
The final will be played on Saturday, September 14 at 6:30 PM, and both the finalists will automatically qualify for the FIBA U19 World Cup 2025, set to take place in Switzerland.
