A sold-out Sunbet Arena filled with hopeful South African fans in Pretoria was left stunned as home side Cape Town Tigers were beaten 84-75 by FUS Rabat in their Basketball Africa League clash on Sunday night.
After the Tigers resurrected their campaign with their first win of the 2024 edition over a formidable Petro de Luanda side on Saturday, the crowd had high expectations that the home side would pull a rabbit out of the hat.
The Tigers needed to beat FUS Rabat by 30 points or more to finish in the top two in the Kalahari conference, but it wasn't to be.
FUS Rabat US import Johnathan Jordan top scored with 19 points and helped steer his side to their third win and top of the conference in their debut.
If someone wanted a definition of an electric atmosphere it was that created by the Sunbet Arena crowd.
The place was abuzz as a brass band blasted the renowned Kwaito song “Sister Bettina” from the upper decks and in response the Tigers put on a show in the first five minutes.
Tigers' talisman Samkelo Cele was again in the thick of things dominating the paint.
He scored nine points in the first quarter even though FUS were 15-13 after 10 minutes. The sides were tied three times and exchanged leads five times in the first quarter.
They were evenly matched at the start of the second quarter.
It was like watching Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, as they went hard at each other with no side showing any weakness.
The Tigers’ US import Billy Preston and Cele hit double figures for the second successive game.
Despite that, the men from Morocco’s ball handling and through passes were immaculate, they found the tiniest of gaps in the Tigers’ defence inside the arc.
Ayoub Nouhi was the architect picking up three assists to lead his side to a well-fought 37-34 score at half time.
SA’s decorated hip-hop artist Cassper Nyovest entertained the crowd with a 10-out-of-10 performance during the break.
The Tigers were caught napping at the beginning of the third quarter.
Rabat took a 14-point lead within five minutes in the second stanza, which was their biggest of the night.
The trio of Aloiu Diarra, Abdelhakim Zouita and Johnathan Jordan were the chief destroyers as they all passed double figures to dumbfound the home side.
The crowd continued urging the team with chants of “Let’s go Tigers”.
They woke up, found their rhythm, and managed to close the enormous gap with Preston and Cele at the forefront.
Rabat had no response to the Tigers' roar, as Cartier Diarra, who was kept quiet the entire night, hit a buzzer two to level the score 59-59 heading to the final quarter.
However, that joy was short-lived as the men from Morocco spoilt the party. They extended their lead by eight points as the home side shot blanks at the basket.
The writing was on the wall for the home side in the last five minutes as the home side went dull.
Rabat kept chipping their shot to end up with a nine-point win and to book their place in the playoffs in Kigali, Rwanda in May and June.
The Tigers' chances of entering the next round as the best third-placed team hang by a thread and depend on how the Sahara and Nile conferences finish up.
DispatchLIVE
Rabat stun Tigers to book place in BAL playoffs
Image: Nokwanda Zondi
A sold-out Sunbet Arena filled with hopeful South African fans in Pretoria was left stunned as home side Cape Town Tigers were beaten 84-75 by FUS Rabat in their Basketball Africa League clash on Sunday night.
After the Tigers resurrected their campaign with their first win of the 2024 edition over a formidable Petro de Luanda side on Saturday, the crowd had high expectations that the home side would pull a rabbit out of the hat.
The Tigers needed to beat FUS Rabat by 30 points or more to finish in the top two in the Kalahari conference, but it wasn't to be.
FUS Rabat US import Johnathan Jordan top scored with 19 points and helped steer his side to their third win and top of the conference in their debut.
If someone wanted a definition of an electric atmosphere it was that created by the Sunbet Arena crowd.
The place was abuzz as a brass band blasted the renowned Kwaito song “Sister Bettina” from the upper decks and in response the Tigers put on a show in the first five minutes.
Tigers' talisman Samkelo Cele was again in the thick of things dominating the paint.
He scored nine points in the first quarter even though FUS were 15-13 after 10 minutes. The sides were tied three times and exchanged leads five times in the first quarter.
They were evenly matched at the start of the second quarter.
It was like watching Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, as they went hard at each other with no side showing any weakness.
The Tigers’ US import Billy Preston and Cele hit double figures for the second successive game.
Despite that, the men from Morocco’s ball handling and through passes were immaculate, they found the tiniest of gaps in the Tigers’ defence inside the arc.
Ayoub Nouhi was the architect picking up three assists to lead his side to a well-fought 37-34 score at half time.
SA’s decorated hip-hop artist Cassper Nyovest entertained the crowd with a 10-out-of-10 performance during the break.
The Tigers were caught napping at the beginning of the third quarter.
Rabat took a 14-point lead within five minutes in the second stanza, which was their biggest of the night.
The trio of Aloiu Diarra, Abdelhakim Zouita and Johnathan Jordan were the chief destroyers as they all passed double figures to dumbfound the home side.
The crowd continued urging the team with chants of “Let’s go Tigers”.
They woke up, found their rhythm, and managed to close the enormous gap with Preston and Cele at the forefront.
Rabat had no response to the Tigers' roar, as Cartier Diarra, who was kept quiet the entire night, hit a buzzer two to level the score 59-59 heading to the final quarter.
However, that joy was short-lived as the men from Morocco spoilt the party. They extended their lead by eight points as the home side shot blanks at the basket.
The writing was on the wall for the home side in the last five minutes as the home side went dull.
Rabat kept chipping their shot to end up with a nine-point win and to book their place in the playoffs in Kigali, Rwanda in May and June.
The Tigers' chances of entering the next round as the best third-placed team hang by a thread and depend on how the Sahara and Nile conferences finish up.
DispatchLIVE
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