PRAIA (Cape Verde) - A third narrow defeat on Thursday night brought an end to Kriol Star's hopes of returning to the BAL.
Last June, the Cape Verdean team caused a sensation by reaching the BAL Playoffs in their first season in the league, but hosting the West Division Elite 16 proved unexpectedly challenging for the islanders.
Following a 94-92 loss to Tombouctou in their opening qualifier game, Kriol Star went on to lose 85-81 to DR Congo's ASB New Generation, before exiting the tournament with a 84-82 loss to Jeuness Club d'Abidjan (JCA) on Thursday night.
Jeuness Club d'Abidjan guard Jonathan Cissé shot 5-for-6 from deep, finishing with 16 points off the bench, and helped his team advance to the semi-finals with a perfect 3-0 record.
Another bench player, Mike Nuga, made significant contributions for the Ivorian champions, finishing with 15 points.
The biggest difference between the teams was the contribution of their respective benches, with Jeuness Club d'Abidjan's reserves outscoring Kriol Star's 49–28.
Leandro Monteiro led Kriol Star with a game-high 21 points, shooting 9-for-13; Ivan Almeida added 18 points, while Kenneti Mendes dominated in the paint, finishing with 17 points and 8 rebounds.
While Kriol Star closed their campaign without a single win in three games, Jeuness Club d'Abidjan advanced to the West Division Elite 16 with a remarkable 3–0 record.
"Obviously, this is not what we came here for. It's frustrating, but we must regroup; we made mistakes at the end of the game, and in close games like this, mistakes mean defeat. We are all extremely disappointed," said Kriol Star head coach Antonio Monteiro.
"He doesn't talk much, but we always try to set up plays that allow him to shoot. The whole team worked to boost his confidence. We are very happy to have him on our team," Jeuness Club d'Abidjan head coach Stephan Konate said of Jonathan Cisse.
Reflecting on JCA's third consecutive win in the Elite 16, power forward Chris Echui said: 'Defence won us the game, even though we had a tough third quarter.'
JCA will take on Spintex Knights in Saturday's semi-final, with the winner advancing to the 2026 BAL season.
FIBA