ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Stade Malien are almost guaranteed a place in the semi-finals after beating Avenir du Rail 92-86.
It was a hard-fought, high-scoring game with 13 ties and 30 lead changes.
Leading Mali’s charge were big man Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, who shot 5-of-7 from deep and went for 22 points and pulled down 11 rebounds; point guard Kelvin Amayo, who scored 21 points; and shooting guard Damaria Franklin, who chipped in with 18 points while hitting 3-of-5 on three-pointers.
Amayo fouled out early in the fourth quarter with two quick fouls, which meant Franklin would have to play with skipper Makan Keita in the backcourt for an extended period.
Coulibaly, Rolly Fula, who had a quiet game, along with Franklin, took on the clutch scoring responsibility.
While Fula and Coulibaly had a couple of mid-range jumpers and some foul shots, Franklin drained a clutch game-levelling 3-pointer followed by a pair of free throws that sealed the win.
“It’s always the next man up in crucial moments. You have got to always be ready for big moments, and I have been for moments like that,” Franklin said.
“I feel like I played a good game today, but the best is yet to come from me. I’m still adjusting to the team, and we can only get better.
“There is still a game to play on Thursday. The goal is BAL,” he added.
Despite pulling down 24 offensive rebounds — one of their highest totals this season — the Republic of Congo champions fell short due to their unproductive bench, which was outscored 29-8.
This is Avenir du Rail's second straight win of the campaign. They arrived in Abidjan with an impressive 3-0 record from the group stages played on their home court.
Stade Malien will finish their group schedule on Thursday with a game against JCA Kings. The winner of the match will finish first in Group B.
FIBA