Kigali – Five players scored in double figures and Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya) beat Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya) 104-91 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda last night, which gave them their fourth straight win in the Nile Conference and a guaranteed slot in the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Playoffs (https://BAL.NBA.com/).
Al Ahli will join Al Ittihad (Egypt), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), 2022 BAL champion US Monastir (Tunisia), the defending champion Petro de Luanda (Angola) and Kriol Star (Cape Verde) when the BAL Playoffs tip off at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa on 6 June 2023.
Tickets for the 2025 BAL Playoffs are available on www.Ticketmaster.co.za.
Former NBA Academy Africa student-athlete Jean Jacques Boissy (Senegal) led Al Ahli with 26 points, while Mohamed Abdourahman (Libya) added 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Uchenna Iroegbu (U.S./Nigeria) led Thunder with 23 points, with Eugene Adera (Kenya) adding nine points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
In the second game last night, Made By Basketball (South Africa) defeated the home team APR (Rwanda) 94-88, winning their second straight game in the competition.
Jovan Mooring (U.S.) got 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Teafale Lenard Jr. (U.S.) recorded 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Pieter Prinsloo (South Africa) added 13 points and seven rebounds.
Tennessee Tech center David Craig (South Africa) played more than 24 minutes, finishing with nine points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks for the South African team which shot 51 percent from the floor.
Obadiah Noel (U.S.) led APR with 23 points and Youssoupha Ndoye (Senegal) added 19 points and 10 rebounds, but APR struggled offensively down the stretch, shooting 37 percent from the floor.
APR retained their second position in the Nile Conference, but will look to bounce back this weekend after two consecutive losses.
The Nile Conference resumes on Saturday, with MBB (2-2) taking on Nairobi City Thunder (0-4) and Al Ahli Tripoli (4-0) facing APR (2-2).
Post-game press conferences:
- Al Ahli v Nairobi City Thunder (https://apo-opa.co/4jfDb7a)
- APR v MBB (https://apo-opa.co/3SOWUjb)
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Al Ahli v Nairobi City Thunder (https://apo-opa.co/3ZvGaRL)
- APR v MBB (https://apo-opa.co/3FniCYs)
NILE CONFERENCE STANDINGS
- Al Ahli Tripoli* – 4-0
- APR – 2-2
- MBB – 2-2
- Nairobi City Thunder- 0-4
*Advanced to 2025 BAL Playoffs
