Tournament favorites Egypt keep Uganda at bay in Group C matchup

Egypt once again justified their status as tournament favorites. After beating Nigeria (72-60), coach Mostafa Atef Hadhood's charges did it again, this time against Uganda, in a virtually one-sided match.

The Egyptians got off to a flying start and quickly brought their opponents to heel. By the end of the first quarter, which Egypt won 23-15, there was no doubt as to the outcome.

And in the second quarter, they added another 23 points to their total, to lead 46-22 at half-time.

After the break, they continued to press, leaving nothing to chance. But this third quarter coincided with the awakening of Uganda, who finished this phase of the game with 16 points, compared to 18 for the Egyptians.

Victory seemed a foregone conclusion for Egypt, and the final quarter, which saw Uganda finish on a high note (15-12), did nothing to change the situation with Egypt triumphing 76-53.

Egypt dominated almost every area of the game: rebounding (72-49), assists (22-7), fast breaks (6-0),all coupled with a very productive bench (54-16). But as Leila Elsanadily herself admits, it wasn't all plain sailing.

"I don't think it was easy. But we did our best. We were looking for as many points as possible" - Leila Elsanadily

But she admits she made a lot of mistakes. ‘We lost quite a few balls,’ she added.

Coach Mostafa Atef Hadhood,for his part, says it was a match to forget for the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket runners-up.

“We respect Uganda, but this was a bad game for us. We were too complacent and that can be seen in our turnovers, giving the ball away 35 times”, said coach Hadhood, expressing his disappointment in his side's performance despite the win.

The day's performances included a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) from Leila Elsanadily, followed by 11 points and 12 rebounds from Khadiga Abouelghait, with the rest of the Egyptian team content to score at least 1 point.

Shiphrah Kiranda's 10 points and 10 rebounds, added to Modesta Anyango's 15 points and 7 rebounds, were all to no avail, as the Egypt's lack of finishing accuracy was reflected in its 27.1% success rate on 2-point attempts and 15%, or 3 out of 20, on 3-pointers.

Uganda's next game, against Nigeria, will determine whether the Junior Gazelles or the Nigerians will accompany Egypt into the next round. The Egyptians, well on their way to the next round, will face Zambia in their final group match.

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[Photography / Imagery Courtesy of FIBA]

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