KPA out of BAL as Tanzania's Pazi book Elite 16 slot

On their first time of asking, Tanzania's Pazi BBC have qualified for the Road to BAL East Division Elite 16 set for next month in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Henry Mwinuka-coached Pazi faced off with a relentless Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) on the third day of Group C qualifiers in Dar es Salaam, winning the crunch clash 69-67 to book the sole ticket to the next round.

Coming into the match, Pazi needed a win to advance while KPA needed to win to give themselves a chance as the decision would have come down to point-difference.

Tied at 67 points with less than 20 seconds on the clock, Pazi shooting guard Baraka Athumani scored the all-important basket to hand his side the win that propels them to the next round.

"I am happy to have qualified for the next round of the BAL qualifiers. We had assembled a good team and the management was willing to bring in new players to strengthen the side and that has helped our cause.

Heading to the Elite 16 as Group C winners is no mean feat. However, there are a few changes that need to be done. The top priority will be replacing two players who unfortunately picked injuries that might not be resolved in time for the South African assignment.

I cannot thank the fans enough. They turned up in their numbers and showed unwavering support for Pazi and I am glad we have repaid their loyalty with the results we have posted," offered the tactician after the match.

Dhieu Abwok Deing who has been instrumental for the Tanzanian side in the qualifiers played 40 minutes, as did Athumani and Landry Ndikumana, scoring a game-high 24 points as the other two also managed double digits with 21 and 12 respectively.

Former NBA player Hasheem Thabeet also made it to the club with 12 points. His impact was, however, felt more on defense as he made his first double-double in the qualifiers, pulling 15 boards, 13 on defense and making seven blocks.

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Maliek Jordan who was taken off with a few minutes to play in the final period top scored for KPA with 21 points as Luqman Leon Lundy and Adera added 17 and 11 respectively in the loss.

"It has been a tough night, we had to grind it out and get the win but it was exciting playing in the Road to BAL for the first time and in front of the home fans.

I am excited about what comes for Tanzanian basketball after this. It will take a lot of work but with everything we have, we will keep working to see the country's basketball thrive," Hasheem said after the match.

Meanwhile, teenager Israel Otobo inspired Dynamo to their second win of the competition, in an 88-59 outcome against Benin's Elan Coton, to finish their campaign 2-1 for second place. The Benin champions placed fourth without a win.

Dynamo went 22-17, 22-18, 18-14 in the opening three quarters as the Benin champions kept things close in an attempt to bag their first win of the campaign, heading to the final period just 13 points adrift. Dynamo, however, ran the scores in the final quarter for 26-10 for the 29-point victory.

Otobo had 21 and 11 rebounds for a double-double as Bienvenu Richard Ndikuriyo and Tariq Ali sank 16 and 15 respectively. King Revolution scored 13, all in the first half.