Uganda defeated neighbours Rwanda 79-63 in the third game of the FIBA 2019 World Cup qualifiers at the Palais Des Sports Salamatou Maiga Stadium in Bamako, Mali.
The win moved the Silverbacks to second in Group B behind leaders Nigeria after completion of the first round of games, and pushed Rwanda to the bottom of the group.
Uganda lost the first two games, 86-102 to Nigeria on Friday and 76-79 to the hosts Mali on Saturday and had to win against Rwanda to keep the qualifying hopes alive.
Uganda need to be in the top three of the group to advance to the next stage of the qualifiers.
The second round of the games will be played in June this year, with Uganda hosting the games.
Africa is represented by five teams in the international tournament.
The first round sees four groups of four teams each, face one another over the course of two legs.
The top three teams from each group advance to the Second Round, where the 12 qualified teams are divided in two groups (E and F) of 6 teams each. The top two teams from groups E and F and the best third-ranked team will secure their tickets for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be the 18th edition and China are the hosts. It will take place from August 31 to September 15, 2019.
Uganda’s next game will be against Nigeria on Friday, June 29, 2018.
