In a thrilling matchup that lived up to its high expectations, Burundi champions Urunani edged out Kenya’s Nairobi City Thunder with a narrow 89-88 victory in the Group D showdown of the East Division Road to BAL. This closely contested game showcased the talent of both teams. With Urunani capitalizing on a late-game surge powered by Marcus Christopher Crawford.
For much of the game, Nairobi City Thunder controlled the tempo, leading for a remarkable 36 minutes and 25 seconds. However, their lead slipped away in the final moments, leaving them to rue missed opportunities.
Tylor Ongwae led the Thunder with an impressive performance, scoring 23-points and coming just two rebounds shy of a double-double. He showcased his shooting prowess by hitting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. William Sydney Davis II contributed 17 points and eight rebounds, while Garang Diing registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, along with five assists.
A key turning point in the game occurred when Thunder guard Uchenna Iroegbu fouled out just two-minutes into the final-quarter. Iroegbu had been instrumental for the Thunder, dishing out seven assists and scoring 12 points before his untimely exit. His absence, along with Will’s injury, hampered the Thunder’s offensive efforts in the closing stages of the match.
On the other side, Urunani’s Jean-Jacques Boissy and Crawford emerged as the standout performers. Boissy led all scorers with 28 points, falling just one assist short of a double-double. Crawford added 24-points and showcased his all-around skills with seven-assists and four-steals, finishing with an impressive efficiency rating of 27.
The game featured nine lead changes and six ties, underscoring how closely matched the two teams were. In the end, Urunani’s ability to capitalize on fast breaks proved decisive, outscoring Thunder 14 to 5 in that category.
As a result of this victory, Urunani is now almost assured of a spot in the Elite 16, having won all three of their matches so far. Meanwhile, Nairobi City Thunder will be looking to rebound in their next two games against GNBC and JKT.
What They Said:
Tylor Ongwae reflected on the game, stating, “We had prepared well for Urunani, well aware of what they would throw at us. We had a good start and kept the momentum going until the final whistle. Iroegbu fouling out and Will picking a slight injury earlier slowed us a bit on offense, and in the end, we couldn’t seal the win. However, we will not dwell on this loss as we have to regroup and win the remaining two matches to achieve our goal of qualification.”
In contrast, Marcus Christopher Crawford expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, saying, “This is what we play for, putting a smile on the fans with such performances, and I couldn’t be happier with this match. We kept pushing and held on to the last minute for victory. We hope to finish the job, fighting just as hard, as this is the joy of playing the game.”
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