The heartbreaking defeat for the Kenyan side came after Robinson Okon drained a clutch three-pointer with less than 10 seconds left on the clock, dashing Thunder’s hopes of securing their first win in the competition.

The loss marks Thunder’s third consecutive defeat, leaving them with a 0-3 record and a -58 point differential, and on the brink of elimination with just three games left in the group phase.

Thunder got off to a sluggish start, trailing by seven points in the first quarter. However, they bounced back with a solid second quarter to take a narrow one-point lead into halftime.

Their momentum continued into the third quarter, where they built a lead of up to 10 points, and later stretched it to 18 points—appearing well on course for victory.

But the tide turned dramatically in the fourth quarter as the South African side mounted a fierce comeback.

Pieter Prinsloo was the standout performer for Made In Ball Basketball, tormenting Thunder with a 30-point, 11-rebound double-double. He was ably supported by Teafale Lenord Jr. and Jovan Mooring, who both contributed double-digit points.

For Thunder, Tylor Ongwae led the charge with 20 points, while Evans Ganapamo impressed with 21 points.

Reacting to the defeat, Thunder head coach Brad Ibs lamented his team’s lack of discipline in the closing stages.

“Yeah, I think after we got the big lead, I think we got out of character. We stopped playing, especially defensively. I also think we stopped playing according to our principles,” said Ibs.

“You could see a lot of reaching, we were getting a lot of silly fouls, and I think that just kind of swung the momentum of the game in their favour. So I think it was just a matter of just making the right kind of simple, disciplined basketball play down the stretch that hurt us," he added.

With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, Nairobi City Thunder will look to turn things around when they face Libyan side Al Ahli Tripoli on Thursday at 5pm Kenyan time.