Basketball: Kriol Stars Open Qualifiers With Home Defeat to Mali’s Tombouctou

City of Praia, Nov. 12 (Inforpress) — The Kriol Stars opened their qualifying campaign for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) on Tuesday night with a narrow 92–94 home defeat to Mali’s Tombouctou, at the Vává Duarte Pavilion.

The match remained undecided until the final seconds, with the visiting team claiming victory after quarter scores of 20–26, 28–23, 24–28, and 20–17.

Cape Verdean player Joel Almeida stood out with a strong performance, scoring 21 points.

Coach António “Zola” Moreira expressed disappointment over the late loss after what appeared to be a promising comeback. “We had recovered well and looked set for a home win, but small mistakes at the end cost us the game,” he said.

SR/AA – Inforpress/End