U16 AfroBasket Men: Tunisia Maintains Perfect Start in With Win Over Uganda

Tunisia Maintains Perfect Start in With Win Over Uganda

Solid game management in the final quarter by the North Africans put the game past the Eastern African side as they brilliantly halted a late run by the latter in the physically contested tie.

Raslen Saidi was the most efficient player for the Tunisian side as he posted 15 points and 11 rebounds, adding one assist and a steal in a brilliant individual display from the lad, and he was ably supported by Adem Rafrafi, who finished with 12 points and three rebounds. For Uganda, Shane Kwizera was the top performer with 13 points and 11 rebounds. 

Tip off saw Pierre Laurent Rwuhiriro bag the game's first two points with a finish via a layup to show their intentions on the day as they tried to avoid a defeat following their opening day loss to Cameroon. The game wore on with missed shots, bad passes and turnovers for about five minutes before Raslen Saidi tied the game from the charity line and led Tunisia on an 8-0 run. A couple of fast breaks and free throws brought Uganda back in the tie as they closed out the first quarter 10-9.

The North Africans made four changes at the start of the second quarter, which eventually paid off as they went on another run. Still, Uganda closed the gap in the more exciting quarter, and both teams went into the break with Tunisia scoring 16 points as against 10 points for their opponents. The halftime score was 25-20.

With a chance to stay top of the group very much possible as at the time the second half tipped off, the Tunisians didn't take their foot off the pedal as they left the Ugandans to keep playing catch-up and opened up a 10-point lead by the end of the third quarter. That momentum was then halted in the final quarter as Uganda tried to stage a comeback. Still, Tunisia played well defensively to keep the scoreline in their advantage as they eventually ground out the win.

Tunisia will be looking to maintain its perfect run when it squares off against Cameroon in a top-of-the-table clash to see which team takes pole position heading into the next round. At the same time, Uganda will hope to scrape past 2023 surprise winners Guinea next Monday in a bid to stay in the competition.

Twelve national teams from across the continent are competing in the 2025 edition of the FIBA U16 championships, with only the two finalists qualifying automatically for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup next year in Turkey.

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[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]