Camara Powers Senegal Past Uganda in Pursuit of First AfroBasket Title Since 1997

The 2025 AfroBasket Men's championships tipped off today in Angola inside one of the host venues with Senegal going up against surprise sixth-placed finishers from the last edition Uganda inside the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda with the West Africans comfortably recording a 88-53 win.

Senegal who are chasing their first African title since 1997 started brightly with a good run that saw them go on a scoring run of 9-0 in the first quarter to show their intentions within the first two minutes of play before the East African side got into their own drive. But it was Senegal who ran the show in the first quarter winning 30-18. The second quarter saw a more cagey affair with both teams sharing 26 points in the entire quarter to head into the halftime break 44-30 with the Senegalese maintaining their first quarter advantage.

Senegal's center Gora Camara was a threat on both ends of the court, adding some flair on offense with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Eight rebounds came on offense, ensuring that Senegal kept possession while five rebounds were during defensive duty. The 24 year-old also made two assists and two steals for an efficiency of 27 as Senegal cruised to a win against Uganda.

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The Senegalese continued their dominance as they picked up from where they left off in the first half with fast breaks, paint dominance and shooting prowess that eased out any sort of surprise being nursed by the Ugandans.

In the end, it eventually became a comfortable victory for the West Africans who had the duo of Jean Jacques Boissy and Makhtar Gueye lead the scoring charts with 16 points apiece. Boissy, MVP of the 2025 BAL season, added a massive 8 rebounds and 4 assists with Gueye registering 5 assists in the win. Forward Moustapha Diop also joined the party with 8 points and 11 rebounds.

Deng John Gue’s 17 points and 4 rebounds was the highest contribution made by a Ugandan with Jonathan Komagum also contributing 8 points and 14 rebounds in the loss that saw the East Africans struggle to cope with the Senegalese offensive execution.

Despite the win, Jean Bouissy was quick to credit their opponents , admitting that the game was actually a tough game.

“The game was a tough game, they played hard but we were more ready today. We had more rebounds, we played more defence and that's helped us win today. I also think that basketball is a game of run. We had our run and they came back to their run. So we kept our heads and the coach said that we've got to focus because if we give them hope it may be a long game.”

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Uganda’s Jonathan Komagum couldn’t hide his frustrations while speaking to AfricaBasket.

“I mean, I ain't happy with how it went, you know what I'm saying. I like to win, so right now it's on to the next game, you know. We've still got two more games against Mali and Egypt, so that's my main focus. We know we are capable of winning any game but we have to pay attention to the small details”.

Senegal who are making their 30th AfroBasket appearance would be banking on their performance in the qualifiers and hope it can see them through in Angola but they must maintain the rhythm they have created going forward.

[ Photography- FIBA]