Road to BAL: Namuwongo pull away after the break as COSPN fade in Hoima

COSPN lasted a half before fading heavily in Hoima. The Malagasy club lost 99–56 to the Namuwongo Blazers on Thursday 22 October 2026 in Group D of the Road to BAL 2027. With 23 points and eight rebounds, Franck Nyembo powered the Ugandan side to a second win in two games. For COSPN, beaten for a second time, the next challenge will be to sustain for forty minutes the resistance they showed before the break.

One-point gap after the first quarter

The final score hides a hard-fought first half. The Blazers did answer the first Malagasy basket with a run of thirteen unanswered points. But COSPN fought their way back into the game, notably thanks to Ikenna Okeke. At the end of the first quarter, Namuwongo led by only one point, 20–19.

The Ugandan side then regained some breathing space without yet shaking off their opponents. At the break, the Blazers led 43–35. COSPN could still take heart from that closeness on the scoreboard; they still had to contain the host club's many attacking options.

The third quarter changes the complexion of the game

The decisive break came after the interval. Two three-pointers from Makhtar Gueye kicked off the Blazers' second half, and they above all limited their opponents' output. COSPN scored only eight points in the third quarter, against 28 for Namuwongo. The gap thus went from eight to twenty-eight, at 71–43.

That spell decided the contest. The Ugandans also won the final period, 28–13, to finish 43 points clear. Over the second half, their advantage stands at 56–21: a difference that shows how hard the Malagasy side found it to build on their good early spells.

Contrasting records, fixtures still to play

Around Nyembo, who was efficient with nine field goals made from thirteen attempts, Gueye added 15 points and Peter Obleng 11. Namuwongo nonetheless have one area to work on before their next games: free throws. The Blazers made only 19 of 33, leaving fourteen points at the line.

Their record of two wins puts them in good shape, without in itself amounting to qualification. The top two teams in the group are due to go through to the Elite 16, the next stage of the Basketball Africa League qualifiers. Namuwongo meet South Sudan's Patriots on Saturday. For COSPN, beaten in both of their opening outings, the schedule continues with the Patriots on Friday 23 October: another chance to turn isolated resistance into a full game.