Former Patriots player turned US Monastir standout, Marcus Christopher Crawford, ignited the court with a 31-point performance against APR, revitalizing Monastir’s stature in the 2024 BAL Sahara Conference.
DAKAR, May 9, Marcus Christopher Crawford’s stellar 31-point performance for US Monastir halted APR’s bid for back-to-back wins in the Basketball Africa League, clinching Monastir’s first victory instead.
APR Basketball Club had a strong start in the opening quarter, quickly jumping to a 7-point lead within the first three minutes. However, they continued to face challenges with their long-range shooting.
The Mazen Trakh-coached side decided to focus on driving to the basket, particularly facing Ater Majok in the paint, which proved to be successful. They dominated inside, outscoring their opponents 10-2 in the paint in the first five minutes, allowing them to end the quarter with a slim 3-point lead of 22-19.
APR struggled with their three-point shooting, making just one out of four attempts, while US Monastir capitalized with a 4 out of 10 success rate from beyond the arc.
As a refresher, leading up to this game, APR had been shooting at a 23% rate from three-point range, placing them as the lowest in the conference in terms of long-range shooting proficiency. On the other hand, US Monastir had a slightly better performance, with 29% accuracy from behind the arc.
Marcus Christopher Crawford and Sadio Doucoure entered the second quarter with a determined mindset to shift the momentum. They scored consecutive mid-range shots, granting the Tunisian Champions their first lead of the game.
The former Patriots guard, Marcus Crawford, continued to be a threat with his long-range shooting, extending their lead. He briefly disrupted his rhythm when he picked up his third personal foul, and the coach temporarily benched him.
During this period, APR heavily relied on their top scorer, Noel Obadiah, who seemed focused on individual performance rather than team play. Consequently, the Tunisian team narrowed the deficit to just one point by halftime, with the score at 36-37. Notably, APR didn’t attempt any three-pointers during this quarter.
After the halftime break, Ater James Majok, the 2022 Mutombo Dikembe Defensive Player of the Year, incurred his third personal foul. However, APR’s offense remained unfazed, particularly in the paint, where Majok avoided further fouls and made a significant impact.
The Rwandan Champions, APR, prioritized attacking the paint over relying on long-range shots, which proved successful in the opening minutes of the third quarter, resulting in an 8-1 run and forcing a timeout from Munir Mohamed El-Kirdani.
Towards the end of the third quarter, Dario Hunt, who was performing well, picked up his fourth personal foul, with APR holding a 5-point lead at 49-44.
With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, William Robeyns extended APR’s lead to six points with a three-pointer, only the team’s second successful attempt from beyond the arc since Mpoyo’s earlier shot in the first quarter. However, Firas Lahyani’s layup reduced the deficit to 4 points, with the score at 54-50.
In the final quarter, APR found themselves struggling defensively, especially with Dario Hunt dealing with foul trouble. This allowed Oussama Marnaoui to sink back-to-back three-pointers, giving the Tunisians a slim two-point lead. Marcus Crawford also contributed by making a basket and successfully converting a free throw as a bonus.
The momentum continued for US Monastir as Lahyani extended their lead to 7 points within the first two minutes of the period, prompting Maz Trakh to call a timeout. US Monastir was on an impressive 11-point scoring streak.
Despite being a top scorer for APR, Noel Obadiah’s defensive efforts were lacking, leading to an unsportsmanlike foul with 6 minutes remaining. This gave the US Monastir two free throws and possession, allowing them to further widen their lead. Obadiah eventually fouled out of the game with 2 minutes left.
With limited options from the bench, as four players had yet to be employed, APR struggled to contain Marcus Crawford and the US Monastir offense. With 5 minutes remaining, the gap widened to 12 points.
In a strategic move, Lahyani targeted Dario Hunt in the paint, resulting in Hunt fouling out of the game. This mirrored Hunt’s foul trouble against US Monastir in the first game.
APR couldn’t mount a comeback and suffered their second loss in the Sahara Conference, with a final score of 70-83.
Marcus Christopher Crawford, formerly with the Patriots and now playing for US Monastir, delivered an outstanding performance, scoring a game-high 31 points. His remarkable play inspired the US Monastir to secure their first win of the 2024 Sahara Conference.
Crawford, the leading scorer in BAL history, is maintaining impressive averages of 19 points and 8.8 assists per game this season, highlighting his offensive prowess.
US Monastir’s triumph injected renewed vigor into their campaign, intricately weaving an additional layer of complexity and intrigue into the playoff qualification process within the conference.
In the other game, Mike Fofan sank a buzzer-beater, abruptly halting Rivers Hoopers’ winning streak. Fofan’s last-second basket propelled AS Douanes to a thrilling 56-54 victory over the conference leaders, Rivers Hoopers.
Following AS Douanes’ win, the Rivers Hoopers from Nigeria remain at the top of the conference standings with a 3-1 record. APR is close behind with a 2-2 record, while AS Douanes holds the third position.
Despite AS Douanes and APR sharing the same win ratio, APR claims the higher position due to their favorable head-to-head matchup. Crawford’s US Monastir lags behind in fourth place with only one win in four games.
This Saturday, Crawford leads US Monastir in a crucial showdown against hosts AS Douanes, while APR takes on Rivers Hoopers in their next match.
