Ferroviario da Beira dominated Soweto Panthers 92-63 in the Road to BAL 2027 Division East Group E opener in Lusaka. Ke Tarrious Bouchum led the Mozambique champions with 23 points, powering a commanding tournament team performance.
Last Updated on
October 30, 2026
Ferroviario da Beira followed the Dolphins’ comeback win with a commanding 92-63 victory over Soweto Panthers in Lusaka. The Mozambique league champions controlled most of their Division East, Group E clash to deliver a convincing Road to BAL 2027 opening-game performance. After three early lead changes, Ismael Nurmamade's triple with 01:41 remaining saw Ferroviario take a 19-18 lead in the quarter.
Ferroviario then closed the period with a 10-0 run, turning that one-point lead into a commanding 26-18 advantage. However, during this period, the Mozambique champions went 3-for-9 from three, with Nurmamade and Ayad Munguambe the only ones to get to the 3-point line. Struggling to gain anything from long range, the Panthers stayed inside all quarter-long; Beira, meanwhile, mixed in mid-range jumpers and paint finishes to stretch Soweto's defence.
Beira carried the momentum into the second quarter with a 12-0 run to make it 38-18. That run forced Soweto into an early timeout as the Panthers found it very difficult to stop Ferroviario scoring in all areas. Lebesa Selepe responded after the break with a play following an after-timeout to produce a timely three-pointer late for Soweto.
Selepe's shot ignited an 11-1 run and Soweto were now at 39-29. The Panthers responded in the second quarter but Ferroviario held on and went into the break with a 47-37 lead after weathering the improved Soweto attack. The teams traded baskets after the restart but Beira continued to hang on and maintain their double digit lead.
Kwazi Gumede's free throws reduced the deficit to 56-45 and then Ferroviario went three whole minutes without scoring. That defensive run was the key to Beira taking the lead 66-45 and they went on to lead 68-48 at the end of the third quarter. The Panthers started the fourth with a 6-2 run to bring the margin down to 70-54.
Ferroviario got the better of it quickly with a 9-0 run to take the lead to 81-55. The Panthers called a timeout but Beira had already reasserted its dominance and there was no real chance of a comeback. With both teams shooting poorly in the final minutes, Ferroviario pulled away with an 11-5 run to win 92-63.
Ke Tarrious Bouchum led the Mozambique champions with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Joshua Thomas chipped in with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists to help Ferroviario stamp their control of the game. Ermelindo Novela and Ayad Munguambe added 11 and 12 points, respectively, for the Mozambique league champions.
