Basketball
UCU Lady Canons opened their title defense at the Association of Ugandan University Sports basketball championship with a dominant win over Kyambogo University at the UCU court 2.
UCU delegation touched down in Brasília on the night of 12 November after a long flight from Entebbe. Both the men’s and women’s teams arrived safely and settled into the athletes’ village ahead of Thursday’s official opening. Their arrival followed weeks of preparation that started immediately after they qualified at the continental championships.
To qualify for the tournament, both the UCU Lady Canons and Canons defeated the United States International University-Africa (USIU) in a qualifying tournament hosted by Makerere University at HAMZ Stadium, Nakivubo, earlier this year, and USIU qualified for the World Cup as runners-up.
The first quarter ended evenly at 16–16, with both sides testing each other in a balanced opening. UCU began to pull away in the second, outscoring the Oilers 18–13 to take a five-point lead into the half.
The Canons battled hard in the second, with Ibanda Lwabaga and Dushime leading the charge, but the Blazers’ composure kept them ahead, maintaining a six-point cushion at halftime.
In a tense National Basketball League clash at Lugogo on May 2nd, the KCCA Leopards narrowly defeated the UCU Lady Canons 63–61, sealing the win in the final minutes of a contest that was tight from tip-off to buzzer.
The Canons came out firing, ripping an 8‑0 opening burst, yet Livingstone’s Akris Ainomugisha (eight early points) clawed the hosts back to trail by just one at the first break, 14‑13. That was as close as it got.
The third belonged to UCU (17-14), despite the warning signs. JT’s defensive movements got sharper, and driving lanes narrowed. The Canons led by three points in the fourth quarter but were losing their rhythm.
he UCU Canons continued their resurgence in the 2025 National Basketball League, defeating the KIU Titans 63-46 on Monday, 21st April at YMCA Wandegeya.
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