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Morais shot six-for-12 from the field and four-for-five from beyond the arc to contribute a team-high 18 points on the night.
Petro de Luanda captain Carlos Morais has admitted his side did not play to the best of their abilities in the Basketball Africa League quarter-final clash with ABC Fighters Sunday night.
The Angolan side were made to work for every point but emerged 88-84 winners in a game that was decided in the final seconds.
“Tonight, we didn’t play a good game,” Morais said in a post-game interview.
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21:21 - 21.05.2023
BAL Petro de Luanda edge ABC Fighters in classic Basketball Africa League quarter-final encounter
Morais led the way for Petro, scoring a team-high 18 points, while Dundao and Hollis added 15 and 14, respectively.
“We didn’t play Petro’s game, we didn’t play as a team, but a win is a win, and we’ll take that,” he added.
The 6’3 guard shot six-for-12 from the field and four-for-five from beyond the arc to contribute a team-high 18 points on the night.
“We knew that this game was gonna (going to) be tough, but we also know if you wanna accomplish the goal, we gotta win games like these.
“It’s not gonna be perfect all the time, but a win is always a win.”
Morais hit a corner three to put Petro in front by two points after Omar Abada had handed Liz Mills’ charges a one-point advantage with 1.25 left on the clock.
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17:34 - 21.05.2023
BAL AS Douanes pummel Ferroviario da Beira to storm Basketball Africa League semi-finals
Douanes will now wait to play the winner between Petro de Luanda and Abidjan Basket Club in the semis.
The eventful final stretch of the fourth quarter had leads change every now and then, with Abada and Jone Pedro executing big plays for their respective teams.
Ater Majok also made his presence felt in the paint with two monster blocks to deny the Cote d’Ivoire side sight of the basket.
About the character of Petro, Morais said: “We know that we are not going to play good every night. Right now, I think we didn’t play a very good game, but like I said, a win is a win. As long as we keep fighting until the end, I think we are going to be ok.”
Petro will now face Senegalese side AS Douanes in Wednesday’s semi-final, and Morais expects a tough encounter.
“I expect a hard game, but we are gonna (going to) be ready. We have two days to recover, to know what we did wrong, and I’m sure we’ll come back stronger.”
Petro finished third in the first-ever edition of the BAL in 2021 before going a step further to reach the finals last year.
And having fallen to Tunisia’s US Monastir in the final 12 months ago, the Angolans want to go all the way this time.
Jose Neto's charges are still unbeaten and on course. They ended the Nile Conference with a 5-0 record and have started the playoffs with yet another win to make it a 6-0 run.
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