2022 runners-up Petro de Luanda bounced back from their opening game defeat with an impressive 100-88 victory over host of the Kalahari Conference, the Cape Town Tigers, on Sunday in the fourth season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
The Angolan champions lost 73-82 on the opening day of BAL on Saturday, March 9, but they got off to a quick start against the Tigers, who also suffered a shocking 73-86 defeat to debutants Dynamo BBC on game day one.
The game, which was played at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, saw Petro de Luanda open a 17-point lead after the first quarter as they led their South African counterpart 31-14. Head coach of the Tigers, Mlungisi Ngwenya, made some adjustments heading into the second quarter, and they hugely paid off as they reduced the deficit to five points before the break after a 28-16 score.
Petro looked very sharp coming back for the second half as Jose Neto’s team won the third quarter 30-19 to extend the lead to 16 points heading into the final round. Although Cape Town took the fourth quarter 27-23, the Angolans finished on top to claim a third consecutive BAL win over their rivals, whom they faced for the third straight season.
First one of the season ???????? #BAL4 pic.twitter.com/LAB4CtNYQJ
— Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) March 10, 2024
Petro’s team captain, Carlos Morais, finished with a joint team-high 17 points along with 8 rebounds while shooting 5-11 from beyond the arc. Yanick Moreira added 10 points and 8 rebounds; Aboubacar Gakou had 10 points and 6 rebounds; and Glofate Buiamba (17 points) and Markeith Cummings (11 points) combined for 28 points off the bench.
For the Tigers, Ngor Santino Manyang had a game-high 20 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 5-7 on threes. Samkelo Cele added 19 points and a team-high four assists; Cartier Diarra had 18 points; and Billy Preston finished with 15 points.
Petro move into second place in the Kalahari Conference after one win and a defeat, while Cape Town are at the bottom of the four-team log with two defeats in as many games and a -25 goal difference.
The two teams will be in action on Tuesday, March 12, as Petro de Luanda will be up against Dynamo BBC, who are third in the conference after they forfeited their second game, while Cape Town Tigers will take on FUS de Rabat later in the day.
