RABAT, Morocco -- Rivers Hoopers have booked their spot in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs in Pretoria in June, beating Kalahari Conference hosts FUS Rabat 79-71 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex on Thursday.
Hoopers' win also confirmed that Al Ittihad are officially through to the playoffs. Ittihad have a record of 4-0 and the Nigerian champions 3-1. Hoopers defeated third-placed FUS (1-3) in both head-to-head clashes so the Moroccan side will be ranked more lowly if the teams finish the conference tied on three wins -- a worst-case scenario for the Nigerian team at this point. FIBA rules use head-to-head results as the primary tiebreaker in such a scenario.
FUS and Stade Malien (0-4) remain in the running to qualify for the playoffs in South Africa, as one of the two best third-placed teams across the three conferences, but they must wait until May to learn their fate.
Rivers Hoopers defeated FUS 88-82 in their previous encounter on Sunday, and the passionate Moroccan fans were determined to ensure there was no repeat.
The hosts raced into an 8-3 lead, but the KingsMen responded well with Shamba Maxi Munanga in strong shooting form and Ike David Ugonna and Raphiael Putney making their presence felt in the paint. By the end of the first quarter, the Nigerian champions had taken a 20-19 lead.
FUS started the second quarter well, with Mouhamadou Diagne dominant in the paint and Mike Fofana and John Jordan in strong scoring form, and they led by 10 points, 36-26, two minutes before halftime.
Hoopers' shooting left plenty to be desired in that two minutes, but two points from Peter Olisemeka and a buzzer-beating three from Putney halved the margin and FUS led 36-31 at the break.
Putney started the third quarter with a monstrous dunk that reduced the deficit to three points, and he continued to control the paint. Olisemeka levelled the scores at 38-38 before Kelvin Amayo put the KingsMen in front 40-39. Hoopers had not led since FUS took control early in the second quarter, and the advantage changed back and forth from hereon.
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Spurred by an increasingly raucous crowd, FUS led 58-53 heading into the final quarter.
Amayo scored four quickfire points to tie the scores halfway through the final quarter, and his teammate Madut Akec found his best form, with 17-year-old Ugonna having put in a shift well beyond his years.
Hoopers took the lead, and a three from Munanga gave them breathing space at 71-65 with 2:35 on the clock. Yacine Baeri hit back with a three for FUS after a timeout, and the crowd turned the atmosphere up a notch further, but Hoopers were not to be deterred. Amayo found Olisemeka for an alley-oop dunk, and Putney, at the other end, defended the rim as if his life depended on it.
There was no way back for FUS.
Akec finished as the game's highest scorer, with 17 points, while Olisemeka secured a vital 12 rebounds. However, it was a team effort that saw Hoopers over the line, with the Ogoh Odaudu's men once again showing they have grown in roster depth since their third-placed finish last season.
"We were just chipping away," Akec said of the team's strategy during tough moments. "That's what we told each other... chip away at the lead, stay together, and just continue defending, keep rebounding."
Odaudu said: "We scouted the team [FUS], and what they could do and what they could not do. All in all, it was down to our determination. It was all down to who wanted this game most. I think we wanted this game most, because it puts us in a golden position heading to South Africa."
The BAL airs on ESPN's channels in Africa (Supersport 218 and 219, Starsat 248).