Nam Blazers wounded by UCU Canons, face tricky KCCA
Syrus Kiviri and his Nam Blazers teammates couldn't find their A-game. PHOTO/EDDIE CHICCO
What you need to know:
The UCU Canons led from start to finish and will have some soul-searching to do after letting a 16-point lead slip in the fourth quarter as the Blazers forced overtime.
Namuwongo Blazers were second-best in their 87-77 loss to UCU Canons on Friday night.
The UCU Canons led from start to finish and will have some soul-searching to do after letting a 16-point lead slip in the fourth quarter as the Blazers forced overtime.
A largely one-sided affair came to life midway through the fourth quarter when Michael Makiadi's jump shot with five minutes and 30 seconds left on the clock started off the Blazers' comeback.
Peter Cheng took over the scoring duties, hurting the Canons with his connections from range and ability to crash the boards for second-chance points.
With 55 seconds left on the clock, Cyrus Kiviiri connected from downtown to bring the Blazers to within one point (69-68) and get the crowd inside the Lugogo Indoor Stadium onto their feet.
The drama down the stretch saw Paul Odongo make two free throws to level matters at 70-all with 15 seconds left on the clock.
Nicholas Natuhereza's Canons called for a timeout, advanced the ball and had Jerry Kayanga open for a three, but his corner shot drew the iron, and Blazers had a chance to win it.
Good defence from the university side ensured the Blazers got no open look, and matters had to be settled in overtime.
Only one side showed up for the extra five points. The Canons had shots falling from all over the place and took the frame 17-07 to win the game by 10 points (87-77).
Controversy
Blazers captain Paul Odongo did not mince his words in his post-game interview.
He tasked the game officials to do better.
"The refs are rusty," the Blazers captain said.
There was confusion amongst the referees when Cheng scored, and at the same time, a foul was called.
It was not clear who had been fouled, but after lengthy consultations with the table officials, referees awarded the Blazers two points and surprisingly gave the same team possession to inbound.
The Blazers' fight to get back into the game was not helped when Geoffrey Soro fouled out early in overtime.
Lwabaga Ibanda led the Canons with 22 points, while Brian Otim and Abraham Isyagi added 18 and 14 points, respectively.
Peter Cheng's double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds was not enough for the Blazers.
The Blazers will have no time to focus on Friday. KCCA Panthers will be looking to add insult to injury when the two sides face off on Sunday.
National Basketball League
Friday results
W -UCU Lady Canons 53-57 JT Lady Jaguars
M -Nam Blazers 77-87 UCU Canons
Playing Sunday (Lugogo)
W -JKL vs. Nkumba -10am
W -Miracle vs. KCCA -12pm
M -Nam Blazers vs. KCCA -2pm
M -KIU Titans vs. Ndejje -4pm
M -City Oilers vs. UPDF -6pm
