By Michael Ainomugisha
UCU Lady Canons 52-48 KIU Rangers(UCU leads Series 2-1)The UCU Lady Canons edged out the KIU Rangers 52-48 in a nail-biting Game Three of the FUBA National Basketball League semi-finals on Tuesday at Lugogo Indoor Arena.
This hard-fought victory has given the Lady Canons a crucial 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.Despite missing head coach Nicholas Natuhereza, the Lady Canons were expertly guided by assistant coach Emmanuel Kiguyi.
The game was a closely contested battle from start to finish, with UCU managing to hold their nerve in the final moments to secure the win.
Captain Shakirah Nanvubya was the hero of the night, hitting a clutch three-pointer in the dying seconds to give UCU a two-point advantage with less than a minute remaining.
Nanvubya led all scorers with 14 points, while Hajara Najjuko contributed 11 points, and Bridget Aber added 8 points along with an impressive 13 rebounds.Lady Canons came out strong in the first quarter, establishing a 20-14 lead. However, both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter, with UCU managing just 9 points to KIU’s 7, leading to a 29-21 halftime score.
The third quarter saw a resurgence from KIU, who outscored UCU 12-7, cutting the lead to just three points heading into the final quarter.In the fourth quarter, the Rangers continued to fight back, but the Lady Canons’ resilience, highlighted by Nanvubya’s late-game heroics with a decisive three-pointer and two well-netted free throws, proved to be the difference, bringing UCU from 47 points to 52 that sealed the win.
UCU finished the game with a 16-15 run in the final quarter, securing the narrow victory.With this win, the Lady Canons are now just one game away from advancing to the finals. They will look to close out the series in Game Four on Thursday, August 22, while KIU will be desperate to force a decisive Game Five.
