KAMPALA — Uganda Christian University’s Lady Canons have reclaimed the National Basketball League (NBL) women’s championship after defeating JT Lady Jaguars 63–49 in Game Five of the finals at Lugogo Indoor Arena on Sunday.
The victory gave UCU a 4–1 series win in the best-of-seven finals and secured the university’s ninth NBL women’s title, extending its record as the most successful team in Ugandan women’s basketball.
The championship, won on August 30, marks UCU’s first women’s NBL title since 2022.
UCU entered the finals with a long record of success, having previously won the women’s championship in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2022.
The Lady Canons appeared to be heading for a clean sweep after winning the opening three games of the series. They beat the Jaguars 50–35 in Game One, followed that with a 65–61 victory in Game Two and then won Game Three 68–63 to take a commanding 3–0 lead.
But JT Lady Jaguars refused to disappear quietly.
They produced their strongest performance of the series in Game Four, beating UCU 72–52 on Friday and forcing a decisive fifth game.
The Lady Canons responded two days later, closing out the championship with a 14-point victory.
UCU’s return to the throne
The triumph represents a return to the top for a programme that has remained one of the dominant forces in Ugandan women’s basketball.
UCU missed the finals last season but rebuilt its squad ahead of the 2026 campaign. The university brought in point guard Mariam Namukwaya from Miracle Eaglets and added other reinforcements as it sought to return to championship contention.
The team’s journey back to the final included a 3–1 semi-final victory over KCCA Leopards. UCU sealed its place in the championship series with an 84–53 win in Game Four, with Matrina Anyango leading the way with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
The finals then presented a different challenge: JT Lady Jaguars, the regular-season leaders, were appearing in the championship series with ambitions of winning their first women’s NBL crown.
Instead, UCU’s experience proved decisive.
Head coach Nicholas Natuhereza, one of the central figures in the university’s sustained success, had urged his players to remain patient and composed before the finals.
“I think every year we go out there knowing that we have a good chance to compete and win. This year we have a group that has had some experience playing in the playoffs, not necessarily winning, but I think they are in a position to compete and go all the way,” Natuhereza said before Game One.
Even after taking a 2–0 lead, Natuhereza warned his players against assuming the championship was already theirs.
“We can’t get carried away. We still have a lot of work to do, and we need to focus on that,” he said ahead of Game Three.
His caution proved justified when the Jaguars won Game Four and briefly revived their hopes of overturning the series.
They could not, however, force a sixth game.
Anyango named MVP
Martina Anyango was named the 2026 NBL Women’s Most Valuable Player after an influential postseason for the Lady Canons.
She capped her championship campaign with a standout performance in the decisive game, scoring 15 points and collecting 11 rebounds as UCU sealed the title.
Anyango had also played a major role earlier in the playoffs, including UCU’s semi-final victory over KCCA Leopards.
The season also saw another UCU product, KCCA Leopards’ Tracy Namugosa, win the regular-season MVP award after finishing as the league’s leading scorer. Namugosa was also selected for the All-Star Five.
The success of players developed through the UCU system points to another dimension of the university’s basketball programme: it has not simply accumulated trophies; it has become a pipeline for women’s basketball talent.
For JT Lady Jaguars, Sunday’s defeat ended another season just short of the prize. The Jaguars had also finished runners-up last season and will now have to wait again for their first national championship.
For UCU, however, the wait is over.
The ninth title restores the Lady Canons to the summit and adds another chapter to a women’s basketball dynasty that has now stretched across nearly two decades.