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2026 National Basketball League | Men | Semi Final | Game One
- Namuwongo Blazers 89-62 UCU Canons
Kasereka Tembo and Innocent Ochera starred as defending champions Namuwongo Blazers brushed aside UCU Canons 89-62 to take the opening game of their National Basketball League semifinal series at Lugogo Indoor Arena.
It did not look like it would be a one-sided contest at the start. UCU burst out of the blocks with a 7-0 run and matched the Blazers throughout the opening quarter before the scores were locked at 17-17.
The game changed in the second quarter. The Blazers turned up the pressure with a relentless full-court press that forced UCU into repeated turnovers.
The Canons struggled to break the pressure as the defending champions dominated the period 29-14 to open a 46-31 halftime lead.
UCU showed more discipline after the break and improved defensively, but the Blazers remained in control.
They stretched their advantage to 19 points heading into the final quarter before putting the game beyond doubt with another dominant spell.
The Canons managed just nine points in the final period as Namuwongo cruised to a comfortable 27-point victory and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Tembo led all scorers with 22 points, while Ochera added 21. Peter Obleng also made a key contribution with 13 points.
Daniel Muganzi was the only UCU player to reach double figures, finishing with 12 points.
The Blazers also won the battle on the boards 44-40 and punished UCU’s mistakes, with the Canons committing 23 turnovers.
Stephen Nyeko’s side now need two more victories to book a place in the National Basketball League finals as they continue the defence of their title.
