Sommet 62–60 UCU Canons
By Michael Ainomugisha
The UCU Canons suffered a narrow 62–60 defeat to Sommet Basketball Club in a tense National Basketball League encounter on Sunday, 6th July at YMCA Wandegeya.
UCU got off to a promising start, with captain Ibanda Lwabanga knocking down a three-pointer and Joel Kayiira adding six early points, leading the Mukono side to a 15–11 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
However, the second quarter saw a drop in intensity from UCU, much like their Lady Canons counterparts the day before. They managed only 12 points, while Sommet poured in 21 to take a 32–27 halftime lead.
The third quarter ended evenly, 15–15, with both sides trading baskets in a tight stretch. In the fourth quarter, the Canons outscored Sommet 18–15, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.
With just nine seconds on the clock and UCU trailing by two, the Canons attempted to replicate the buzzer-beating heroics from previous wins against the Victoria Crocs and Namuwongo Blazers.
But this time, Marvin Okurut’s pass to Kayiira came a second too late, and the final whistle sealed UCU’s heartbreak.
Ibanda Lwabanga led all scorers with 23 points, while Joel Kayiira contributed 12 points and 18 rebounds. Forward Lihumi Jimmy also impressed with a double-double of 14 rebounds and 12 points.
For Sommet, guard Andrew Ssendawula scored 10 points, Nyembo Fataki posted 17 points and 15 rebounds, while Mark Ngobi added 14 points. Veteran forward Peter Cheng rounded off the scoring with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
