Joburg's MBB blow lead in BAL showdown against APR in Kigali
Johannesburg's Made By Ball (MBB) were left kicking themselves after they blew a first-half lead of 47-45 and ended up losing 103-81 to Armée Patriotique Rwandaise in the Basketball Africa League at the BK Arena in Kigali in Rwanda on Sunday evening.
This was MBB's second loss in Africa's biggest basketball competition. Though there is still a week and four games to be played in the Nile Conference, they are now under pressure to deliver a win in the game on Tuesday against Nairobi City Thunder if they are to return to SA having qualified for the playoffs.
City Thunder have problems of their own as they have lost their opening two games with 20-plus margins.
Apart from international import Teafale Lenard Jr's 20 points, Jovan Mooring's 17 and Pieter Prinsloo's 13, none of the other MBB players made it past double figures against APR. This is no doubt something that will be on top of the agenda for MBB's head coach Sam Vincent.
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From then, MBB found their mojo and put up a seven-point extension into the score line and were 14-7 with four minutes remaining, but the Libyan outfit made a comeback and tied the game 16-16 with two minutes left. Though MBB were resilient, Al Ahly ended up winning the quarter 23-16. MBB kept on chipping important buckets in the second quarter, but whenever they moved closer to Tripoli's score, Italian head coach Abou Chacra's men would step on the accelerator. The closest difference MBB moved to was a three-point deficit at 30-27 with four minutes before halftime. Al Ahly, who had already secured a place in the playoffs, went to the dressing room team talk ahead at 42-34. The Libyans ensured that the writing was on the wall for the South Africans and diminished any thoughts of a miracle comeback. They walked away with the game in the third quarter. Jean Jacques Boissy, who was arguably the best player in the conference, slotted a three-point step back jump shot five minutes into the quarter, and Al Ahly took a lead of 22 points. Tripoli had a 69-48 advantage heading into the last 10 minutes of the game. Despite Lenard, Prinsloo and Mooring putting shots at the end, it was not enough to stop the Libyans as they walked away with a 29-point win. US player Jaylen Adams, who played 32:43 for Tripoli, finished with a top score of 28 points. Daily Dispatch
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