The National basketball team, the Silverbacks will play in the next round of FIBA World Cup qualifiers despite a second consecutive loss to Nigeria in their final group game at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
Silverbacks completed the second window without any win. Nevertheless, they will be in the next stage of the qualifiers. The development came after their third group opponent failed to turn up for any of their games.
The silverbacks entered the clash against Nigeria when they had already confirmed their slot in the next round and their only hope was to at least get a win after losing to Cape Verde (87-78) in the second game but they were not good enough to top the west African giants.
Uganda started the game well but failed to be clinical when scoring their baskets. By the end of halftime, Uganda was already trailing behind Nigeria in a 49-31 halftime result.
Despite top performance from Ismail Wainright and Arthur Kaluma, the silverbacks failed to cub Nigeria’s dominance and surrendered the game in a 91-72.
Despite the loss, Uganda’s Ismail Wainright produced a double-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists. Arthur Kaluma added 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists while Robinson Opong contributed 16 points and 5 rebounds.
According to the qualifiers, after the overall second window, the top three teams across all the four groups are pooled into two groups each comprising six teams.
After, the best two teams from each group and the third-placed team will qualify for the FIBA World cup 2023. After having a poor run in the second window, Uganda will have to make amends in the next stage of the qualifiers if they are to secure their slot in the world cup.
Silverbacks results
July 1; Uganda 20-00 Mali
July 2; Uganda 78-87Cape Verde
July 3; Uganda 72-91 Nigeria
