South Sudan’s Bright Starlets Make History Again with Semifinal Berth at Women’s AfroBasket 2025
The Uganda Gazelles began the game strongly, surging to a 15-6 lead within the first five minutes. However, South Sudan quickly responded. Delicia Washington sparked the comeback with a string of points, and Nyamer Lual Diew knocked down a critical three-pointer to bring them within two points, changing the momentum entirely. In the second quarter, South Sudan found their rhythm from behind the arc, draining six three-pointers and turning the game on its head.
In what has become a fairytale run for South Sudan at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, the tournament debutants pulled off yet another monumental upset, edging regional rivals Uganda 69-68 to secure a historic place in the semifinals — and with it, qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments.
Just 24 hours after shocking continental giants Egypt in the Classification Round for the Last Eight, the Bright Starlets defied the odds once again in Abidjan, overcoming a Uganda Gazelles side that had beaten them twice in the AfroBasket Zone 5 Qualifiers earlier this year and had gone unbeaten in the Group Phase of this tournament.
South Sudan arrived in Côte d'Ivoire via a wildcard and were largely written off after losing both of their Group B games to Mali and Cameroon. But their resilience and fighting spirit have since turned them into the tournament’s surprise package.
Their path to this historic semifinal berth is nothing short of extraordinary. Despite playing back-to-back games with little rest and facing a well-rested Ugandan side that had enjoyed two days off, South Sudan refused to be intimidated. They matched Uganda’s intensity, outworked them in key moments, and ultimately held their nerve in the final seconds to seal a victory that will go down in African basketball history.
The Uganda Gazelles began the game strongly, surging to a 15-6 lead within the first five minutes. However, South Sudan quickly responded. Delicia Washington sparked the comeback with a string of points, and Nyamer Lual Diew knocked down a critical three-pointer to bring them within two points, changing the momentum entirely.
In the second quarter, South Sudan found their rhythm from behind the arc, draining six three-pointers and turning the game on its head. Their hot shooting streak gave them a 26-15 run in the period and a six-point lead at the half.
A turning point came when Adut Bulgak tied the game at 33 with a clutch three. South Sudan’s scoring trio of Diew, Nyamuoch Teny, and Maria Gakdeng helped push the lead to 39-36 before the halftime buzzer.
Uganda’s challenge was significantly hampered when key player Hope Akello was forced to sit out early after picking up three fouls in the first 15 minutes. Although Uganda regained a one-point lead (60-59) heading into the fourth quarter thanks to a South Sudan cold spell from deep, it wasn’t enough.
The final quarter was a back-and-forth affair. Uganda seemed poised to snatch victory, but two missed free throws by Melissa Akullu in the dying seconds proved fatal. South Sudan, cool under pressure, closed the game out to claim a famous one-point win.
Delicia Washington led the charge with 17 points in nearly 40 minutes of play, keeping the offense ticking when Uganda threatened to break away.
Maria Gakdeng registered a double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds), dominating the boards and providing crucial defensive stops.
Rose Macuei added 12 points and came just two rebounds short of her own double-double.
South Sudan outscored Uganda 38-26 in the paint and 21-14 in bench points. Uganda’s free throw shooting woes haunted them — they missed 10 of 25 attempts. Both teams made seven three-pointers, but Uganda needed 36 attempts to do so, compared to South Sudan’s 32.
With this victory, South Sudan are not only in the semifinals of AfroBasket 2025, but they have also qualified for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments — a staggering achievement for a team making its tournament debut.
Their success mirrors that of the South Sudanese men’s team, who began their international journey in 2021 with a wildcard and have since emerged as continental heavyweights. Now, the women — affectionately called the “Bright Starlets” — are carving out their own legacy.
For Uganda, it’s heartbreak. The Gazelles, who had been dominant in the group stages, will now be left to reflect on what might have been. Their missed free throws, foul trouble, and inability to stop South Sudan’s key scorers at crucial moments ultimately cost them a place in the semis.
After the game, South Sudan forward Rose Macuei was emotional and overwhelmed:
"It’s an unbelievable feeling, and I don’t even know what to say. We came into this competition as underdogs, but we gave it our all today. We started the tournament with two losses, which really demoralized us, but we persevered, and here we are. Dreams really do come true!"
The Bright Starlets are now just one win away from a continental final. Whether or not they go on to win the AfroBasket, their campaign has already redefined expectations for debutant teams and cemented South Sudan’s growing reputation as a basketball powerhouse.
The Stars, the men’s team, will take inspiration from this achievement as they head to Angola next month for their own continental challenge.
For now, July 31, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day South Sudan women’s basketball took its place on the continental stage.
