PRAIA (Cape Verde) - On Wednesday, hosts Kriol Star and Jeuness Club d'Abidjan (JCA) entered the Vava Duarte Gymnasium in Praia needing to boost their chances in the tournament, but they came out with distinctly different results.
In an earlier match, JCA, the Ivorian champions, neutralised Centre de Référence de Basketball de Tombouctou (CRBT) with a 14-point victory (85-71).
In the final game of the day, Kriol Star were facing a must-win scenario, but fell to DR Congo's ASB New Generation 85-81.
JCA now top Group A with a perfect 2–0 record, while Kriol Star are bottom of the group with 0–2.
While the Ivorians have realistic chances of securing a spot in the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL), Kriol Star's hopes were dashed by a tenacious opponent who, like them, was also desperate for a win to stay in contention.
ASB New Generation took to the court with a sense of urgency, illustrated by their 19-point lead (39–20) in the second quarter.
Cheered on by hundreds of local fans who made their presence felt throughout the game, Kriol Star reduced the deficit to just four points (58–54) by the end of the third quarter, before Ivan Almeida scored a three-pointer to tie the contest at 64–64 with 6:35 minutes remaining.
However, when Almeida fouled out with five minutes remaining, there was little the Cape Verdean team could do to save their campaign.
He finished with a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds. Dane Miller Jr., a three-time BAL participant, finished with 17 points for the Kriols.
"They played harder and smarter than us. Basketball is a team sport, and I don't think we were able to do that," Kriol Star head coach Antonio Moreira acknowledged.
"We got out-rebounded and our transition defense - we suffered a lot of easy points -. Ww should have done a better job. We have to stay accountable but I am proud of my teammates for fighting through adversity," Kriol Star captain Joel Almeida said.
"We understood what was at stake because this was a must-win game in order keep our hopes alive to advance. That was our mindset; Unfortunately, things didn't work out," he added.
Carl Embo led the ASB New Generation with 12 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists, while Viny Okouo dominated the paint, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Gudul Mulomba, Etienne Tametong and Exauce Kamba combined for 40 crucial points for the Congolese team.
"Every game for us is a final. This is how we things moving forward," said New Generation coach Charly Buzangy. "We are taking one game at a time."
Group A concludes on Thursday with Kriol Star (0-2) facing JCA (2-0) while Centre de Référence de Basketball de Tombouctou (1-1) will go up against New Generation (1-1).
FIBA