PRAIA (Cape Verde) - Immediately after Jeuness Club d'Abidjan defeated ASB New Generation 70-50 in a Group A match of the 2026 Road to BAL West Division Elite 16 tournament in Praia on Tuesday, Kra Ulrich emphasised that the key to their victory was the team's composure.
"Our focus won us the game,' he told FIBA.basketball.
The Ivorian champions took the opportunity of their 17-point lead (51-34) at the end of the third quarter to rotate their bench and prepare for what lies ahead.
"We'll make sure to maintain the same mindset for the next few games. Nothing has been achieved yet, but it was refreshing to see how focused the whole team was," he added.
Elisee Mutombo led New Generation with 15 points, while Etienne Tametong — who played for Cameroon's FAP in the 2021 BAL season — contributed seven points in defeat.
Inspired by Jonathan Cissé, Jeunesses Club d'Abidjan neutralised almost every attempt by New Generation to contend, leaving the Congolese side questioning their future in the competition.
Cissé led Jeunesses Club d'Abidjan with a game-high 15 points, while his teammate Mike Yayo added 10 for the winners.
Omar Gudul admitted that ASB New Generation need to do things differently to avoid similar outcomes. He said: "We started slowly and lacked effort at the beginning of the game. We put ourselves in a difficult position as we had to come back from a big deficit. But what hurt us the most was the fact that our shooting percentage was too low. We have to fix those little things. We have to make sure we defend well and grab rebounds."
ASB New Generation were no match for Jeuness Club d'Abidjan.
FIBA