NAIROBI (Kenya) - Ayad Munguambe of Ferroviario da Beira will be hailed as the team's knight in shining armour tonight, as his uncontested long-range shot secured a 89-87 victory.
Having faced off in the group phase, the familiar foes lived up to expectations in this match, with Matero coming back from a 17-point deficit to force a back-and-forth in the final quarter.
The match came down to the final 39 seconds.
After an Ermelindo Novela turnover, Corey Boyd's layup gave Matero the lead at 87–86, and all they needed to do was shut down the Mozambicans until the final whistle to get their revenge when it mattered most.
However, Munguambe was left unmarked on the right, and he took his time to angle his shot to perfection, delivering heartbreak to the side coached by Chandler Easton Livingston Simon.
Ferroviario had won the first two quarters 22–17 and 31–28, taking a 53–45 lead into the second half. Beira looked poised to take a double-digit lead after the opening two quarters, but Matero scored seven points, including a buzzer-beating three from Zaid Christopher Hearst, to reduce their deficit to eight.
Although Helton Ubisse got the second half going, the unstoppable Mukelabai started the comeback with back-to-back dunks off the former BAL side's empty possessions, making it 55-51 and sending Beira to a much-needed timeout. Hearst stole the ball from Munguambe and drove to the basket for a two-point lead.
In the next play, Munguambe lost the ball to Mukelabai.
Despite missing his layup attempt twice, Marc Seylan got the offensive rebounds and scored to make it 55-55.
The duo then connected for a steal, with Seylan handing Matero the lead from range. The run took them to 61–55. They maintained their lead to finish the third with a score of 73-66.
Ismael Nurmamade and Novela scored three-pointers to make it a one-point game, with Munguambe adding another to make it 77-76 as the momentum shifted in Beira's favour.
The encounter came down to a dramatic finish.
Nurmamade led Beira's scoring with 22 points, 14 of which came in the second half. He shot 8-of-12 in the paint and added a trey and three off the charity stripe to lead his side to victory.
However, it was Ke Tarrious Bouchum who dominated the boards for Beira, pulling down 17 rebounds and adding 14 points to complete his double-double.
Mukelabai was Matero's magic wand, pulling the side through tough times to score 26 points. This tally would have been instrumental in their first win had the last 30 seconds turned out differently.
"We played the same side in the qualifiers and knew to expect a tough match. We worked as a team, using our experience to stay focused and make the right decisions, even under pressure. We made a few mistakes, such as our turnovers in the second half, which is to be expected when the game is so closely contested, but we are keen to make adjustments and maintain our winning streak," said Ferroviario da Beira's guard Nurmamade.
FIBA