Quezada inspires D'Agosto to crucial win in ELITE 8 clash against Petro Atletico

LUANDA (Angola) - Petro Atletico head coach Lazare Adingono is adamant his team can turn things around in the second leg of the ELITE 8 of the FIBA Africa Basketball 2019.

Hosting local and continental rivals Primeiro D'Agosto on Friday, Petro Atletico had a solid start to the game, but scoring only seven points against D'Agosto's 20 in the third quarter determined their feat in a game they had high expectations.

Emmanuel Quezada hit five of his eleven three-points attempts to finish with 36 points, inspiring the eight-time African champions D'Agosto to a 70-57 triumph.

In the process, Quezada established a FIBA Africa Basketball League 2019's record for most points scored in a game.

"We have to find solutions for the second-leg," Adingono said, adding: "The same way they were successfully tonight, especially in the offense end, we'll try to go against this antidote and avoid that this performances happens again. Manny Quezada was clearly the game-changer, and we'll make sure to improve our defense against him."

Olimpio Cipriano and Leonel Paulo combined for 25 points for Petro Atletico, however, missing successive free-throws in critical moments of the game, prevented Adingono's team to stay in the game.

"It's always tough playing against Petro Atletico," Quezada said of his former team. "Tonight we were able to match Petro. Some people had been questioning my fitness, but I feel in great shape. It was about time to come up with a big performance."

"There is still a long way to go before we can celebrate, and we are going to need to stay focused to win the series," Quezada pointed out.

FIBA