Africa-Press – Tanzania. NATIONAL envoy Dar City remain unbeaten and firmly on course in the FIBA Africa Championships Club Road to BAL 2026 East Division Elite 16.
Dar City overpowered Ferroviario da Beira 87–78 of Mozambique in their final Group B clash on Thursday at the Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi, Kenya.
Coach Mamadou Gueye’s men burst out of the gates with intensity, turning what was expected to be a tightly contested matchup into early dominance.
They claimed the opening quarter 25–11, fuelled by a blistering 13–0 run in the first four minutes while Beira struggled to settle.
Despite the loss, Beira joined Dar City in the semifinals as the group’s secondplaced team.
Youssou Ndoye (22 points) and Nisre Zouzoua (21 points) led Dar City’s scoring, but the night belonged to veteran guard Solo Diabaté.
His 14 points and 14 rebounds kept Dar City in control throughout, and left him just one rebound shy of recording the first triple-double of this year’s East Division competition.
Dar City wasted no time imposing itself. Zouzoua, Diabaté, and Deng Angok Yak Deng knocked down three long-range shots in quick succession, while Raphiael Putney added seven points to widen the early gap.
Beira showed signs of life in the second quarter. Joshua Thomas chipped away at the deficit with back-to-back layups, and Celio Chirombe’s basket, followed by Hassan Drame’s hook shot, cut Dar City’s lead to 41–34 at halftime.
Sensing pressure, Diabaté again steadied his side, orchestrating a 9–2 run that restored a double-digit cushion. Zouzoua’s three-pointer midway through the third quarter pushed the lead to 63–42, Dar City’s biggest of the game. Beira responded with a 24–16 surge, trimming the gap to 65–50 heading into the final quarter.
The Mozambican side staged their strongest spell in the fourth quarter, narrowing the score to 80–72 and later 85–78. But their late 28–22 run came too late to threaten Dar City’s composure.
“Today’s game was up and down,” Putney quoted by FIBA.basketball. “It was a good win, but we need to work on transition defence and rebounding. We have big guys, and if we stay consistent, we should win on Saturday (today).”
Dar City opened their Elite 16 journey with an 85–78 win over Zambia’s Matero Magic on Tuesday and followed that with a commanding 93–75 victory against Malawi’s Bravehearts on Wednesday.
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