ABIDJAN (Côte d'Ivoire) - Less than 24 hours after stunning Egypt in the Classification Round for the Last Eight, South Sudan - the only tournament debutants - are through to the Women's AfroBasket Semifinals after repeating their feat against the Uganda Gazelles.
Despite having lost twice to their neighbors in the qualifiers and coming in as the underdog, the team secured a 69-68 victory, qualifying not only for the Last Four but also for the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments.
South Sudan made it to Abidjan with a wildcard. They lost both Group B games against Mali and Cameroon, but redeemed themselves in the round of 16.
The fact that they were going up against a team that won both Group Phase games and enjoyed two days of rest was irrelevant.
The Uganda Gazelles jumped out to a 15-6 lead in the opening five minutes, but seven quick points from Delicia Washington (4) and a three-pointer from Nyamer Lual Diew brought South Sudan back to within two points, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
The South Sudanese made six shots from behind the arc in the second period, giving them a 26-15 lead and a six-point cushion at halftime.
TURNING POINT: Adut Bulgak tied the score at 33 with a three-pointer in the second quarter. Diew and Nyamuoch Teny added two points each to give South Sudan a 39-36 lead.
Uganda had to play without Hope Akello, who was benched after committing three fouls in the first 15 minutes. South Sudan's three-point shooting dipped in the third period, giving Uganda the chance to take a 60-59 lead going into the final stanza.
The fourth quarter was back and forth, and it was anyone's game until the last six seconds when Melissa Akullu missed twice from the free throw line, handing South Sudan the victory.
HERO: South Sudan's long-range shooting carried them through crucial moments.
As Uganda tried to stop Maria Gakdeng and Rose Macuei, who had led them to victory against Egypt, they found no answer for Washington, who scored 17 points in 39:54 minutes to secure the win.
Gakdeng recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Macuei scored 12 points and came two rebounds shy of a double-double.
STATS DON'T LIE: Uganda will be hurt by missing 10 of their 25 free throws and losing by half a basket whenever they think about this game.
It was a game of small margins. The South Sudanese shot 7-for-32 from deep, while Uganda shot 7-for-36. The South Sudanese had a better showing in the paint, going 38-26 ahead and 21-14 on bench points to secure the win.
BOTTOM LINE: South Sudan's Bright Starlets are following in the footsteps of their men's team, who made their debut in the qualifiers in 2021 with a wildcard and have since taken over the African basketball scene.
The Starlets are setting the pace for the Stars, who will be in Angola next month, chasing their first African title.
Meanwhile, Uganda will have a lot to reflect on as they head to the classification matches.
WHAT THEY SAID: "It's an unbelievable feeling, and I don't even know what to say. We came into this competition as underdogs, but we gave it our all today. I am thankful for our coaching staff, management, and teammates for their hard work. “We started the tournament with two losses, which really demoralized us, but we persevered, and here we are: qualified for the World Cup qualifiers. I can’t explain how much this means to us as a group and to South Sudan as a country. “We had no pressure; we had nothing to lose. All we had to do was trust each other, play for each other, and hoop. We were tired, but that couldn’t stop us from playing today. I am happy that we won today. “Uganda has a solid team. We played them in February and knew it wouldn’t be easy this time. We made some mistakes last time, but we limited them this time. Dreams really do come true!” South Sudan forward Rose Macuei.
FIBA