Thunder go down fighting against star-studded Urunani

Kenyan champions Nairobi City Thunder lost their second game at the ongoing Road to BAL East Division Group D qualifiers by the slightest of margins, going down to Burundi's Urunani 89-88. 

The Kenyan champions came into the clash off a win against Beau Vallon Heat while Urunani were on a 2-0 run after victories against JKT and Beau Vallon Heat.

Coach Ibs stuck with his starting lineup led by game one top scorer, William Sydney Davis II (Will), Uchenna Iroegbu running the floor, and forwards Tylor Ongwae, Garang Diing and Derrick Ogechi. 

The quintet raced to an early 7-2 lead but Jean-Jacques Boissy hammered five home to level the score at 7. Marcus Christopher Crawford gave Urunani the lead for the first time at 12-11 but the Kenyan champions reclaimed the lead, going on a 10-point run to lead 21-12 with just over five minutes to play. 

Crawford combined with Nkonsinathi Sandile Sibanyoni and Peter Olisemeka to pull Urunani to within a basket at 26-24. Boissy made it a one-point game at 28-27 as the quarter ended with the sides tied at 30, Dining pouncing on an offensive rebound to level the score after Iroegbu's missed trey. 

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Ongwae's was, twice, left unmarked knocking down back-to-back treys for 36-33, Albert Odero and Diing making it 39-32. Urunani, however, had Boissy at work, the former AS Douanes star pulling the Burundians back to trail 39-37. Mohamed Doumbya's steal for a dunk made it 41-39 forcing Thunder into a timeout to restrategise. 

Crawford tied the game at 41 off the break but Fidel Okoth's three brought Ibs men back in the lead as the hot contests forced Urunani into their timeout to tame the Kenyan side after going 48-43 ahead. 

Sibanyoni's missed trey gave Thunder the chance to hit 50 points off a Ongwae mid-range jumper but their seven-point lead was shortlived as Boissy's three-point play and Doumbya's basket made it 50-48. Ongwae's hot hand, however, made sure Thunder went to the lockerrooms with a five-point advantage at 55-50

There was no separating the two sides, on resumption, as four minutes into the third quarter it was still a three-point game with the Kenyan side leading their Zone Five counterparts 64-61, Doumbya missing the chance to make it a one-point game off the free-throw line.

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The Kenyan champions pulled away with an eight-point run for 74-66 with 1.21 to play but back-to-back turnovers brought Urunani to within a basket at 64-72 heading to the final quarter. 

With just over two minutes played in the final stanza, Thunder’s main guard Iroegbu fouled out of the clash with his side leading by a single basket at 76-75. Despite his absence, his replacement, Ken Wachira stepped up to lead Thunder to an 84-77 run. 

Urunani, however, clawed back to tie the game at 85 with a Crawford trey and Ibs needed a moment with his men to restrategise for the remaining 48 seconds. It was, however l, never to be as Thunder missed what would have been a winning basket, going down 89-88.