Sunday, March 29
•Pearl Queens 44-74 JKL Lady Dolphins
•City Oilers 69-59 UMU Flames
•KCCA Leopards 72-51 KIU Rangers
•Sommet 90-62 Kampala Rockets
•Rezlife Saints 73-61 UCU Canons
City Oilers extended their perfect start to the National Basketball League season with a 69-59 victory over UMU Flames on Sunday at Lugogo Indoor Arena.
The defending champions made it seven wins from seven games, but were made to work hard by one of the league’s newly promoted sides.
UMU Flames put up a spirited performance and trailed by just four points at halftime, showing resilience against the unbeaten City Oilers.
However, a sluggish third quarter proved costly for UMU as the Oilers seized control of the contest. Although the Flames rallied to win the final period 19-16, the deficit had already grown too large to overturn.
Fayed Baale led all scorers with 21 points to guide the Oilers, while Landry Ndikumana added 11 points. Isaac Athuai Akoal was dominant on the boards, pulling down 12 rebounds in the win.
UMU Flames had notable individual performances, with Joshua Duallo registering a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Agot Agot and John Otuko contributed 18 and 11 points respectively, but their efforts were not enough to stop the Oilers’ momentum.
City Oilers held a 54-46 advantage in rebounds, but UMU’s struggles in shooting ultimately undermined their chances.
The Flames missed 12 of their 15 attempts from beyond the arc and converted just half of their free throws in a disappointing night offensively.
The Oilers remain the only unbeaten side across both men’s and women’s NBL divisions, with fixtures against Rezlife Saints, UCU Canons and Victoria Crocs lined up before the end of the first round.
For UMU Flames, the defeat marked their seventh loss in nine games this season, highlighting the challenges faced by the newly promoted side, which has managed just two wins so far.
