Africa-Press – Rwanda. Tuesday, May 20
MBB Vs NCT 4pm
APR Vs Al Ahli Tripoli 7pm
Two top African teams, APR and Al Ahli Tripoli, will be up against each other in what promises to be the toughest matchup of the Nile Conference of Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2025 which is underway at BK Arena in Kigali.
Currently, APR and Al Ahli have a perfect win record as they remain the only sides unbeaten in the conference in the past two games. APR won their two games against Nairobi City Thunder (NCT) and Made By Basketball, as did Al Ahli Tripoli against the same opponents.
Both teams have showcased great scoring prowess, with Al Ahli breaking the BAL record for the highest number of points in a single game wen beat NCT 115-87 on Sunday.
As APR now come up against Al Ahli at 7PM Kigali Time at BK Arena, there is little to differentiate the strength of the two sides, though Al Ahli, at least comparing the statistics, seem to have performed a bit better in some departments.
For example, the Libyan champions averaged 16 three-pointers per game, compared to APR’s 12. Al Ahli also has the lowest turnover rate at 13, while APR averaged 16 misplays in the first two games.
APR scored an average of 97.5 points per game, compared to Al Ahly Tripoli’s 101. In terms of rebounding, APR averaged 49.5 boards per game against Tripoli’s 50.5.
Al Ahli Tripoli’s top scorers are Jean Jacques Boissy (29 points per game(ppg)), Jaylen Adams (21 ppg), Deon Thompson (16 ppg), Mohamed Sadi (14 ppg), and Nassen Badrush (9.5 ppg).
Aliou Diarra leads APR in scoring with 22.5 points per game. Chasson Randle is second with 15 points per game. Youssoupha Ndoye contributes 17 points per game, and Axel Mpoyo follow with nine points per game each.
These are two teams that have never faced each other in a continental competition before.
The winner of Tuesday’s matchup between APR and Al Ahli Tripoli will improve to 3-0, which is good enough to secure one of the two automatic playoff spots in Pretoria in June.
APR and Al Ahli Tripoli are very close in the standings, making this one of the most unpredictable games of the season so far.
Aliou Diarra, who leads APR’s scoring and rebounds made, remains a doubt for Tuesday’s clash in what may become a big blow for the home side. However, the likes of Chasson Randle, Dane Miller, Youssoupha Ndoye and Noel Obadiah have shown potential of stepping in and handle any situation.
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