PRAIA (Cape Verde) - Libyan champions Al Ahly Benghazi secured the first of two West Division Elite 16 tickets for the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) by outclassing Centre de Référence Basketball de Tombouctou (CRBT) 103-76.
Benghazi took to the court with a sense of urgency, illustrated by the 7-0 run with which they started the game. By halftime, the 2024 BAL runners-up were 18 points ahead (52-34), having led by as many as 23 points at one stage in the first half.
No matter how hard CRBT tried to respond to Benghazi's fast-paced, disciplined play, it seemed an impossible task. As the game progressed, Benghazi rarely took their foot off the pedal.
Tombouctou were ready to cause an upset against favourites Benghazi, but this never materialised and the game eventually became one-sided.
John Jordan set the tone for Benghazi, shooting 4-for-5 from deep and leading all players in scoring with 20 points.
Marcos Knight added 19 points off the bench and Adrees Zeew also came off the bench to contribute 14 points. They were joined by BAL champion Mohamed Sadi, who also finished with 14 points.
Bamba Diallo tried to minimise the damage, shooting 5-for-9 from the arc to finish with 17 points off the bench. However, his efforts could not prevent Tombouctou's elimination.
The game bore no resemblance to their first meeting, when Benghazi had to work much harder to win 77-66 in Bamako, Mali, during the group phase.
This marks the end of Tombouctou's BAL dream, although they will play the losing team from the Jeuness Club d'Abidjan vs Spintex Knights match on Sunday for third place.
"They were the better team. We lacked composure in the early stages of the game. It was a totally different scenario to our game in Bamako last month. We had our fans and family cheering us on, and our level of motivation was much higher,' acknowledged Tombouctou head coach Moctar Hamid.
Al Ahly Benghazi head coach Ahmed Soliman insisted that the job wasn't done as they have a First-Place to play on Sunday. "We want to win the title," Soliman said.
FIBA