Game Report: In a thrilling BAL playoff clash, Al Ahly Ly defeated reigning champions Al Ahly 86-77. Majok Machar Deng dominated with 25 points and 9 rebounds, propelling his team to victory and to the semi-finals of the 2024 BAL playoffs.
Last Updated on
May 26, 2024
Fanya Nkengasong
Staff Writer
It was a rematch between two teams who had already met in the Nile Conference, with Al Ahly Sporting of Egypt winning both encounters on home soil.
Despite their previous victories, Al Ahly Sporting knew those wins meant little in the high-stakes setting of a BAL Season 4 Quarterfinal. In the playoffs, the two teams experienced contrasting fortunes. Al Ahly of Libya comfortably defeated the Cape Town Tigers 87-76, while Al Ahly Sporting of Egypt suffered a buzzer-beater loss to FUS Rabat (78-89).
The Libyan club believed that rotations would be crucial. Observers noted that coach Ivan Jeremic had been cautious about making substitutions since the Nile Conference, resulting in key players often being exhausted. For the reigning champions, losing was not an option as it would mean relinquishing their title prematurely.
After five minutes, the game started defensively, with the score at 8-6 in favour of Libya's Al Ahly Benghazi. By the end of the first quarter, they led by one point (15-14). At the start of the second period, the Egyptians took a brief lead (18-17). Both teams exchanged slight advantages before the break, with the Libyans leading 38-36 at halftime. Early in the third quarter, successive baskets from Deng extended the Libyan lead to 45-36.
The second quarter was tightly contested, with Benghazi edging it by one point (23-22), but they found more breathing room in the third, winning by four points (17-13). The score at the end of the third quarter was 55-49. The Libyan club held their opponents to eleven points in the final quarter, bringing the score to 66-55.
At one point, Al Ahly Sporting closed the gap to six points (78-72) thanks to their impressive bench, which scored 30 points throughout the game. However, it wasn't enough. In the end, the Libyan club advanced to the Semi-Finals with an 86-77 victory, led by new players Robert Golden and Lual Lual Acuil, who each scored 23 points.
