DAKAR, Senegal — Hosts ASC Ville de Dakar from Senegal were eliminated from the Basketball Africa League on Sunday evening following a 77-68 defeat to Tunisia`s US Monastir. This result confirmed US Monastir`s progression to the June playoffs, where they will compete alongside Angola`s Petro de Luanda and Cape Verde`s Kriol Star.
Earlier on Sunday, Petro de Luanda had already clinched their playoff berth despite experiencing a 71-69 overtime loss to Kriol Star. The qualification spots from the Kalahari Conference were secured last month by Al Ittihad and Rivers Hoopers in Rabat.
ASCVD knew a victory was essential for them to qualify, while a loss would mean elimination. Their point guard, Will Perry, certainly understood the urgency, delivering a strong first quarter with 10 points. However, Osiris Eldridge matched his scoring for Monastir in the same period, ensuring the Tunisian squad held a slight 16-15 advantage by the end of the quarter.
Monastir started the second quarter dominantly with a 13-2 surge. Despite this, Makhtar Gueye managed to keep ASCVD in the contest by sinking three consecutive three-pointers, resulting in a 38-32 deficit for the hosts at halftime.
The third quarter was closely contested, with both teams exchanging points, yet Monastir successfully maintained their lead, heading into the final quarter with a 53-46 score.
The home team narrowed the margin in the early part of the fourth quarter. With 5:56 remaining, a layup by Perry reduced Monastir`s lead to 60-56. However, Babacar Sané then sparked an 8-1 run for Monastir, effectively silencing the home crowd of his native country.
Speaking after the game, Sané acknowledged the disappointment of the home fans, stating: “I wish [ASCVD] qualified, but playing against them was hard.” He added that he felt compelled to help Monastir, as they signed him specifically for their qualification efforts.
ASCVD was unable to recover from that point. Despite Perry`s 20 points and Gueye`s 18, they were ultimately outplayed by a Monastir team that utilized its roster more effectively, led by Eldridge`s 22 points.
Despite recruiting high-profile players such as Perry, Gueye, Ater Majok, Devine Eke, and Abdoulaye Harouna, ASCVD appeared disorganized and lacked cohesion throughout the tournament.
Notably, Devine Eke received limited playing time under ASCVD coach Libasse Faye, despite a successful season with Nigeria`s Rivers Hoopers the previous year and subsequent experience in the NBA Summer League and G League. Furthermore, Abdoulaye Harouna, who had been a key contributor earlier in the conference, did not participate in Sunday`s decisive match.
As a result of Sunday`s late game outcome, Monastir finished at the top of the Sahara Conference standings, with Petro de Luanda in second, Kriol Star in third, and ASCVD at the bottom. The top two teams from each of the three conferences automatically secure a playoff spot, along with the two third-placed teams holding the best records.
Kriol Star`s record is better than FUS Rabat, who finished third in the Kalahari Conference, thereby guaranteeing Kriol Star a place in the playoffs.
FUS Rabat still has a potential route to the June 6-14 playoffs if their record surpasses that of the team finishing third in the upcoming Nile Conference, which is scheduled to take place from May 17-25 in Kigali.
