Premium
Thunder fall again as Al Ahli Tripoli set BAL scoring record
Nairobi City Thunder's Eugene Adera (right) tries to get past an Al Ahli Tripoli player during their Basketball Africa League match on May 18, 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda.
What you need to know:
- Eugene Adera, one of Thunder’s standouts, remained optimistic: “We just have to stay connected. We have a couple of games to go and that’s what we’re focusing on. We’ll watch the film and get better.”
- Nairobi City Thunder will look to bounce back against South Africa’s MBB, another team still chasing its first win in the tournament on Tuesday at 5pm Kenyan Time.
In Kigali
Nairobi City Thunder’s tough debut in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) continued on Sunday after they were outclassed 115-87 by fellow newcomers Al Ahli Tripoli of Libya.
The 115-point haul by Al Ahli set a new BAL record for most team points in a single game, surpassing the previous mark of 113 set by Tunisia’s US Monastir against GNBC of Madagascar in the league’s inaugural season in 2021.
Al Ahli took control early, capitalising on Thunder’s cold start, missing their first five shots. Led by captain Mohamed Asadi, who scored seven points, the Libyans comfortably won the first quarter 24-18.
Nairobi City Thunder briefly found momentum in the second quarter with key contributions from William Davis, Uchenna Iroegbu, and Tylor Ongwae, cutting the deficit to 39-35. However, Deon Thompson's 10 points and Asaid’s seven points helped Al Ahli stretch their lead to 53-38 by halftime.
The third quarter proved decisive. Al Ahli blitzed Thunder, scoring 18 of the first 21 points. Jaylen Adams poured in 11 points while Jean Jacques Boissy added 10, propelling their team to a commanding 71-41 lead.
Despite efforts from Ongwae (five points), Eugene Adera (four), and Kennedy Wachira (three), Thunder trailed 81-53 heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Thunder showed resilience. Iroegbu exploded for 12 points while Adera added 10 in a spirited late run. Iroegbu finished with 18 points and Adera with 14, the quarter ending 34-34, but the damage was already done.
Al Ahli’s bench star Jean Jacques Boissy led all scorers with 30 points. Jaylen Adams contributed 26 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals. Captain Mohamed Sadi added 20 points, while Deon Thompson chipped in 21.
Speaking after the game, Thunder head coach Brad Ibs expressed disappointment: “Obviously, our consistency hasn't been there. We’ll preach that tomorrow , we have to play every possession to our Thunder standards and hope that helps turn things around. We need to correct it quickly.”
Eugene Adera, one of Thunder’s standouts, remained optimistic: “We just have to stay connected. We have a couple of games to go and that’s what we’re focusing on. We’ll watch the film and get better.”
Nairobi City Thunder will look to bounce back against South Africa’s MBB, another team still chasing its first win in the tournament on Tuesday at 5pm Kenyan Time.
