Heartbreak in Rabat as Fall’s Dagger Sends FUS Tumbling In the Sahara Conference

Basketball lovers witnessed an exhilarating and nail-biting conclusion to the game inside the Salle Omnisports Moulay Abdellah as ASC Ville de Dakar's Samba Dali Fall's three pointer with less than nine seconds stunned the home fans as FUS Rabat fell to their first defeat in the Sahara Conference of the ongoing Basketball Africa League. For the Senegalese, this was an incredible win as the side walked away with a 67–66 victory that felt less like a basketball game and more like a jail break, registering a crucial win to boost their chances of making it to the playoffs after suffering back to back losses in their opening two games.

Kuany Atem Kuany gave a game high performance of 19 points, nine rebounds and two steals but they were not enough to see him end up on the winning side. For the winning side, Fall's most important shot of the game that secured the win saw him finish  with 17 points, five rebounds and two assists. He was ably supported by veteran Solo Diabate who finished with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.

For forty plus minutes, the arena belonged to the home fans as they stood, roared and believed until Fall stole it all with the Senegalese guard catching the ball, rose up, and buried a three-pointer that didn't just win a game but flipped a season.

The opening quarter saw both teams open with the kind of tension you'd expect from a must-win tie for both the Senegalese side and the home team who were looking to stay perfect. The Senegalese side actually started brighter, with Solo Diabate – the veteran floor general – finding seams in the FUS defense early, Fall made a two-point layup and Axel Toupane made a shot behind the arc as they went on a 5-0 run before FUS responded through Mouhamadou Diagne, who bullied his way to the rim for a layup and converted 2-of-2 shots from the charity line. The quarter ended with Ibrahima Sylla converting two three-points attempts and Bara Ndiaye also doing the same as the Senegal side led 11-21.

Perry's struggles were clearly visible as the FUS guard, normally a reliable scoring valve, missed consecutive possessions and shots. He looked uncomfortable, almost sped up. By halftime, he had just three points. Despite an improved second display, ASC still held on to take a 37-32 lead into the break.

ASC stayed close thanks to their backcourts and it worked, the topsy turvy went on in the second half and it was pretty close with several lead changes. With the backing from the home fans, FUS took a 54–53 lead into the final quarter frame leaving the home crowd growing more restless.

The final quarter was pure chaos with plenty back and forth. Lead changes on four straight possessions at one point. FUS dominated the paint and the open floor. They were the more explosive team in transition and the more physical team inside the paint but ASC won the margins as they turned FUS Rabat's turnovers into points more efficiently and absolutely obliterated FUS on the offensive glass (17 to 8), while they also built a double-digit lead that gave them just enough cushion to survive the late FUS push. FUS had one last chance. Perry got the inbound, pushed past half court, and hoisted a contested three at the horn. It clanked off the front rim. Game over.

Club Africain of Tunisia have already punched their ticket to the playoffs next month. They sit atop the Sahara Conference with a 3–0 record and look every bit the favorite. For everyone else, it's a scramble for the remaining spots.

The win keeps ASC Ville de Dakar alive in the conference but the math is brutal. They likely need to win at least a game and hope that their direct rivals lose theirs to have a shot at catching a spot within the top four. For FUS Rabat, the loss stings, but it's not all gloomy as they're still firmly in the playoff hunt. The concern isn't the defeat itself  but how they lost and they know they have to fix all that as they head into the final round of games.

Perry's off night exposed a vulnerability: when he's neutralized, the offense leans too hard on Kuany, who is brilliant but can't do it alone. FUS needs a third scorer to emerge before they face Club Africain. Though their point differential remains strong, they cannot afford to drop another game as they could find themselves in a tiebreaker nightmare.

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[Photography/Imagery : Courtesy of Basket Senegal/Africa Basket]