After two days of classification-round matches, the BAL 2024 quarter-finals are set.
AS Douanes and US Monastir were the last teams to carry off triumphs in their classification clashes after edging out Rivers Hoopers and Petro de Luanda, respectively, on Saturday at BK Arena.
US Monastir narrowly overcame Petro de Luanda of Angola 70-67 thanks to Firas Lahyani’s three-pointer buzzer-beater that propelled the Tunisian franchise to a dramatic victory.
The 2022 BAL winner had the upper hand in the first quarter with 16-13 at the end of it, but the Angolan side rebounded in the second quarter and snatched a five-point advantage at the halftime break.
The two sides, who faced in the 2022 BAL final when Monastir prevailed 83-72, went toe-to-toe in the ultimate two quarters, keeping the supporters on the edge of their seats.
Nonetheless, Petro de Luanda maintained the lead, which was cut by Munir Mohamed’s men to two points at the end of the third quarter.
The nail-biter fourth quarter was virtually going to end in a tie before Chris Crawford set up Lahyani for a three-point shot at the last-gasp minute.
Lahyani had 19 points and nine rebounds, while George Williams added 17 points.
Nicholas Faust was Petro de Luanda’s leading scorer with 12 points.
On the other hand, AS Douanes comprehensively beat Rivers Hoopers 63-57. Both sides were in the same group, Sahara conference, in which the Nigerian team emerged as the leader.
Ogoh Odaudu’s men had the lead only once during the game when they went 2-0 ahead in the start, and from then on, AS Douanes grabbed the advantage until the end.
The Senegalese side capitalised on Rivers Hooper’s turnovers by scoring 22 points.
The 2023 runner-up racked up a 14-point advantage, heading into halftime, before extending it to 22 points at the end of the third quarter.
Rivers Hoopers attempted to cut the deficit, but they only managed to diminish it with Mamadou Gueye’s side pulling off a six-point lead at the end of the contest.
Harouna Abdoulaye was influential in the win of AS Douanes, sinking 16 points, whilst Madut Akec added 13 points and 8 rebounds.
David Ike had the most points for Rivers Hoopers as the prodigy dropped 11 points, whereas Abel Offia and John Wilkins contributed nine and eight points, respectively.
In the quarter-finals, FUS Rabat will square off against Cape Town, while Egypt’s Al Ahly will take on Al Ahly of Libya on 26 May.
AS Douanes will face off against Petro de Luanda, while US Monastir will play against Rivers Hoopers on 27 May.
