Al Ahly crash AS Douanes to win Basketball Africa League

Micheal Thompson (2) and Omar Oraby (41) helped Al Ahly win the BAL title /COURTESY PICTURE

BAL Al Ahly crash AS Douanes to win Basketball Africa League

Tosin Abayomi 19:30 - 27.05.2023

South Sudan forward Nuni Omot got hot early in the game to give Agustin Julbe Bosch's charges the much-needed offence.

Al Ahly have become the second team from Egypt to win the Basketball Africa League following their 80-65 victory over Senegal's AS Douanes in the final Saturday evening in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Egyptian side, playing in the BAL for the first time, relied on their experience to tame a very physical Douanes side and emulate rivals Zamalek who won the competition's first edition.

South Sudan forward Nuni Omot got hot early in the game to give Agustin Julbe Bosch's charges the much-needed offence.

He ended with a game-high 22 points and was named the tournament's MVP.

Corey Webster and Micheal Thompson added 13 and 10, respectively.

Ahly led 17-10 after the first ten minutes of the game to set the tempo and have Douanes playing the catch-up game.

Pape Maguet Diop layed up to tie the game at 33-33 with 1.12 left on the clock in the second frame, but defensive lapses allowed Al Ahly a five-point advantage (38-33) going into the halftime break.

Omot and Amr El Gendy were fouled and punished AS Douanes to give the Egyptian side the lead.

Corey Webster and Ehab Amin hit two back-to-back threes to stretch Ahly's lead to double figures (57-44) with 2.28 left in the third frame, and there was no coming back by Mamadou Gueye's charges.

The three-point shot that worked the magic against Petro de Luanda in the semi-final eluded Douanes all night as they shot a mere two-for-31.

With 2.18 left on the game clock and Ahly carrying a healthy 20-point lead (80-60), Gueye withdrew star player Marcus Crawford to signal the end of the contest.

Having scored 26 points in the semis, the American guard was limited to nine points in the final.

Jean Jacques Boissy, who erupted for 28 against Petro, led the West African side in scoring with 17.

Adama Diakite added 14 points, but there was no stopping Al Ahly from lifting the title on their first time asking.

Basketball Africa League

Final

Al Ahly 80-65 AS Douanes