PuraVida Sports

Kigali

Jean-Jacques Boissy got 30 points, including 18 from behind the arc, Jaylen Adams added 26 points and eight assists, and Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya) beat Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya) 115-87 in the second day opener of the Basketball Africa League’s (BAL) Nile Conference in Kigali, Rwanda.  

In the second game, APR (Rwanda) beat MBB (South Africa) 103-81.

With their second straight win, Al Ahli scored the most points in one game in BAL history and outrebounded Nairobi 50-41. Nairobi was led by Uchenna Iroegbu who finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.  

APR were led by Aliou Diarra’s 22 points and 14 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end of the floor. MBB were outrebounded once again, this time 50-38, and struggled offensively while shooting over 35 percent from the floor. 

They were led by Teafale Lenard Jr. who got 20 points, with Jovan Mooring adding 17 and Pieter Prinsloo adding 13.

The Nile Conference returns on Tuesday when MBB takes on Nairobi City Thunder at 4pm (CAT), while APR faces Al Ahli at 7pm (CAT). 

The top two teams from the Nile Conference and the best third place team between Kalahari Conference’s FUS Rabat (Morocco) and the third place team in the Nile Conference will advance to the BAL Playoffs and Finals which will take place at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa from June 6-14.

APR vs MBB Game of Two Halves

APR vs MBB was a game with two very distinct halves: a very balanced first half turned into a complete APR dominancy in third quarter. 

But it was Chasson Randle’s third and last three-pointer of the game that sent fans inside the BK Arena into a frenzy as it saw APR cross the 100-point mark, the first time the Rwandan champions hit such a mark in the league. 

The historic shot was followed by ole, ole, ole chants, symbolising a job done for the Lions. 

“We knew it was an important game for us,” said APR guard Ntore Habimana, who contributed four points and had the most assists (eight) for the second game in a row. Habimana explained that the team’s growing confidence is real. 

“If you win one game, people might think it’s luck. But if you win two games, that’s when you set the tone. We wanted to set the tone in this game and carry it over to our next one, which will be our toughest.” 

With local fans filling most of the BK Arena seats on Sunday and supporting the team throughout the game, the 6-foot-6 guard admitted their presence was pivotal to their performance. 

“Home court advantage is real. We use the fans to fuel us. When we go on runs, that’s how we get these 20-, 30-point leads. They’re only possible because the fans are pushing and fueling us.” 

He continued: “Everything we’ve worked on these past few weeks—including the fans—is going to help us win our next game.” 

Meanwhile, Diarra limped off the court midway through the fourth quarter and never returned. 

For the second game in a row, MBB’s bench wasn’t as productive as their opponents’, contributing 16 points to APR’s 30. 

Teafale Lenard Jr. led MBB with 20 points, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the South African champions’ second loss in two games. 

Teafale Jr. stressed that they still have a chance in the playoff race. 

He said: “Those little mistakes in the second half allowed them to pull away.” He added: These are our first two games as a team, and we are going to improve. These two losses don’t affect us. We’ll come out and win the next game, and we’ll be fine.”

Thunder vs Al Ahli Highest Scoring

In Sunday’s other game, Al Ahli Tripoli sent a message by outscoring Nairobi City Thunder 115-87 in what was the highest-scoring game in BAL history. 

A quick look at the Libyan champions’ game plan reveals a team that typically starts strong, often with long-range shots. 

As they did in their first game of the season against MBB, Al Ahli Tripoli hit two straight three-pointers to take a 6-0 lead. 

First, Nassen Badrush hit a three-pointer, and then Deon Thompson followed with another. 

In a quick sequence of scoring opportunities, Nairobi City Thunder found themselves trailing 10–0 before Coach Brad Ibs called a timeout 3:16 minutes into the game. 

Al Ahli Tripoli closed the opening quarter with a 24–18 lead and opened the second quarter with another three-pointer. 

Nairobi City Thunder then used a 6-0 scoring run to cut the gap to just two points (39-37), forcing Al Ahli Tripoli coach Fouad Abou Chacra to call a timeout with 4:50 left in the second quarter.

Nairobi City Thunder’s worst nightmare came true early in the third quarter when Jaylen Adams and Jean Jacques Boissy of the Libyan champions, each made two three-pointers each to give their team a 67-41 lead. 

Al Ahli Tripoli eventually tied Petro de Luanda’s BAL record for most three-pointers in a game (20), moving a step closer to the BAL postseason. 

Boissy, who had set a season record for most three-pointers in Game 24, became the first player to score 30 points in a single game this season. 

Jaylen Adams scored 26 points, Mohamed Sadi scored 20, and Côte d’Ivoire international Deon Thompson contributed 21 points and 14 rebounds for the victors. 

Uchenna Iroegbu led the Thunder in scoring with 18 points and remained upbeat after their second loss in as many games. 

“It’s not how we bounce back; it’s a must. We must bounce back. Luckily, being down by that many points doesn’t carry over to the next game. The next game starts 0–0. We have to bring a new mindset and energy to the next game.” 

Later, Al Ahli Tripoli guard Bakeer Fellah shared his thoughts on the team’s mindset. 

He said: “Togetherness won us the game. We shared the ball, and we all had one goal.” 

“We are locked in. We are thinking of everyone back home right now. They are in our hearts, and we are going to continue striving to be great at this game.” (BAL / NBA)