Despite trailing Al Ahly by 33 points in the third quarter, Uganda’s City Oilers attempted a ferocious comeback that fell short in a 70-72 loss in Game 2 of the 2023 BAL Nile Conference.

Following a defeat in their Basketball Africa League opener two days ago, the City Oilers suffered their second straight defeat in the Nile Conference with a 70-72 loss to Egyptian giants Al Ahly, in a game in which the Oilers finished strong but could not overcome the 33-point deficit.

The Ugandan champs suffered greatly from bad shooting early on. The Al Ahly shooters dominated the first half, outscoring the Oilers 40-27 (20-14, 20-13). The Oilers made 12 of 35 shots, including 1-10 from behind the arc, while Al Ahly hit 14 of 38 shots, with 5-18 3P.

The City Oilers were held back in the third quarter struggling with long-range shooting, but their poor defense and inefficiency on offense stopped them from getting back into the game, as they only managed to score 9 points, including one 3P out of seven attempts. Thus, they entered the fourth quarter down by 25 points. 36-61.

Mandy Juruni’s team did not go down without a fight. In the last period, they eventually managed to overcome Al Ahly’s tough defense while also being adept at long-range shooting.

They shot 12 of 17 from the floor including 5-7 3P, with 5 of 6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter. Ugandan-American guard, Germaine Roebuck’s fourth-quarter performance was a silver lining for the City Oilers, pouring 14 points and some threes to help the team get back in the game.

Unfortunately, his effort fell short as they cut the deficit down to only two points with 2 seconds remaining and possession in hand. However, Titus Odeke failed to take a shot within the time limit, ultimately leading to their second straight defeat.

Germaine Roebuck led the way for the Oilers on offense, pitching in 28 points, 2 assists, and eleven rebounds. For Al Ahly, Anunwa Omot tallied 17 points and seven rebounds.

The Oilers return to action at Dr Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall on May 2 against SLAC

City Oilers come up just short in their Basketball Africa League debut as they fall 89-71 to Clube Atlético Petroleos de Luanda in the 2023 BAL Nile conference games held at Dr Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall, Egypt.

CAIRO, April 27, Uganda’s representative had the unenviable task of facing Angola’s Petro de Luanda in their first-ever BAL game.

Uganda’s eight-time champions, City Oilers could not match one of the best to ever play in the league as the Angolans finished third in the inaugural season, second in last season, and now one of the title contenders.

José Alves dos Santos Neto, the Basketball Africa League’s Coach of the Year for 2022, elected to open the game with all five Angolans on the floor. With the likes of Ater Majok, Souleyman Diabate, and Damian Hollis on the sideline.

The 2022 league finalists got out to a fast start, scoring 10 points in the first 3’50” and holding the Ugandans to zero points, forcing Mandy Juruni to request a timeout to adjust his tactics.

The Oilers ended up trailing 21-14 in the first quarter but produced a better second-quarter performance, winning 25-21 to go into the half-time break trailing by just three points, 42-39.

Pedro de Luanda came out strong in the third and fourth quarters and took the 18-point lead to take the game. 24-20, 23-12 in the third and fourth quarters respectively to win the first game of the 2023 BAL Nile conference.

Damian Hollis came off the bench to record a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Petro was led by Aboubacar Gakou, who put in 16 points while also pulling down 6 rebounds. Carlos Morais, Childe Dundao, and Damian Hollis contributed 11 points apiece

On the side of Mandy Juruni’s City Oilers, the American duo of James Justice Junior and Falando Jones combined for 42 of 71 scored by the Ugandan champions. Titus Odeke added 10 points

The City Oilers shot 23-of-68 field goals compared to Petro’s 28-of-69 field goals. However, The Ugandan champions had 14 points from Petro’s turnovers while also recording 28 points from the paint.

Petro de Luanda had 7 points from Turnovers and 28 points from the paint. This means that Mandy Juruni’s City Oilers should work on their shooting accuracy.

Uganda’s flag bearers will have an opportunity to bounce back when they confront Al Ahly Sports Club while Petro de Luanda faces CF da Beira on Friday, April 29 at the same arena.