ABIDJAN (Cote D'Ivoire) Stade Malien Bamako on Saturday night beat Bangui Sporting Club to pick the last spot in the West Division of the Road to BAL Elite 16 round in Abidjan to qualify for the 2023 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season.

The 62-59 final score reflects how even-matched the match was.

Stade Malien's versatile shooting guard Souleymane Berthe opened the score for his side from the charity line after Bangui Sporting Club center Kendall Gray was found to have impeded the movement of the sleek guard  towards the basket.

The 22-year-old scored 15 of his side totals at the end of the first quarter which they led 26-15.

Bangui Sporting Club cut the gap in the second quarter but the Bamako-based side held on to a seven-point lead (40-33) at halftime. 

The third period was, however, different from what Stade Malien head coach, Kaba Kante bargained for as Bangui Sporting Club guard Kenneth Gasana opened his scoring account with three straight 3-pointers to send the match tied at 50-50 ahed of the final quarter. 

The combination of Berthe and 20-year-old forward Aliou Fadiala Diarra with compact plays from the Bangui-based side led to a low scoring in the final ten final ten minutes but the Malian champions eventually prevailed to qualify for their first-ever BAL tournament. 

Berthe ended the game on a high with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in 31.19 minutes. Diarra had a double-double performance of 16 points and 18 rebounds, while adding 2 assists, 2 steals, one block to finish with the highest efficiency rating of 32.

GAME HEROES: Coach Kaba Kante of Stade Malien will have the duo of Souleymane Berthe and Aliou Fadiala Diarra to thank for a job well done as both players put in everything they had into the game to ensure the historic victory.

TURNING POINT: Bangui Sporting Club actually turned things around especially in the third period but determination and hunger for success gave it to Stade Malien.

STATS DON'T LIE: Though it was a slim margin victory for Stade Malien as evidenced on the statistic sheet,  both sides ended the proceedings with equal opportunity on the boards 49-49,

Stade Malien proved the better side from the charity line as they converted 12 of 17 attempt to Bangui Sporting Club 6 of 13. Stade Malien were also the better of the two sides in assists 16-8  but both teams, again, shared equal chance in steals 12-12.

The Bamako-based side moved the ball a lot better, having shared 16 assist against Bangui's 8.

But what hurt Bangui the most was the 18-point difference early in the game. Even though the Central Africa Republic champions fought back, the damage was already done.

BOTTOM LINE: Stade Malien stepped on the floor on a desperation mood, and Bangui struggled to cope their fast-paced style of play. By the end of the opening it looked as if Stade Malien had exposed Bangui's vulnerabilities. Berthe and Diarra became the Bangui's main trouble for most of the 40 minutes.

Did the better team win? If we consider how determined and hungrier the Bamako-based was, then, yes, they deserved the last spot from the West Division to the BAL, but a lot of credit must be given to Bangui for a terrific campaign, although they failed when they everyone least expected. 

FIBA