Rwandan international small forward Dieudonné Ndizeye Ndayisaba helped Cape Verde’s Kriol Star beat Urunani 90-82 in the semi-final of the Road to BAL Elite 16, securing their maiden Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualification.
NAIROBI – Rwanda national team skipper Dieudonné Ndizeye scored 21 points in the crucial semi-final of the Road to BAL Elite 16, propelling Kriol Star to realize their dream and become the first-ever Cape Verdean team to qualify for the Basketball Africa League.
Kriol Star had to rally back from a 9-point halftime deficit (18-12, 19-16) to mount a dramatic comeback against the highly rated Burundian champions.
Ndizeye and McGlynn came in the second half determined to turn the tide and make history in Cape Verdean basketball. They started shooting from behind the arc to trim the deficit and take a 3-point lead (60-57) before the final quarter.
Kriol Star continued where they left off in the fourth quarter, scoring 30 points while conceding 25.
The final score, 90-82, sparked jubilation for Joel Almeida and his teammates, who were emotional after making history.
Patrick McGlynn scored a game-high 35 points on 8-of-19 field goals, including 7-of-12 from three-point range. The American guard also went 12-of-14 from the free-throw line.
Dieudonné Ndizeye contributed 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals in the game.
Senegalese guard Jean Jacques Boissy scored 33 points for Urunani. Mouhamed Doumbia and veteran Landry Ndikumana each had double-doubles: Doumbia with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Ndikumana with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Kriol Star’s journey has been incredible. After finishing last in the first round of the Group A West Division, the Cape Verdean champions earned a wild card for the Road to BAL East Division Elite 16. They then defied the odds to reach the final and qualify for the Basketball Africa League 2025.
In the other game, hosts Nairobi City Thunder defeated Uganda’s City Oilers 72-62 to secure their spot in the BAL for the first time.
Kriol Star, along with Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya), clinched the last two slots from the East Division to join Stade Malien (Mali), Al Ahly Tripoli (Libya), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Al Ittihad Alexandria (Egypt), US Monastir (Tunisia), ASCVD (Senegal), APR (Rwanda), FUS Rabat (Morocco), MBB (South Africa), and Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) to complete the 12 teams that will compete in the Basketball Africa League 2025.
