Etoile Sportive Rades dubbed new kings of African Champions Cup

TUNIS (African Champions Cup) - Over the course of the past few months, Tunisian side Etoile Sportive Rades have been dubbed the new kings of African clubs for a reason.

In a matter of three months, the Tunsian side emerged from outsiders to a serious African Champions Cup (ACC) title contender.

The team's head coach, Linos Gavriel, prefers to describe his team as "a young ambitious team".

On Monday, the team that finished last month's FIBA Africa Zone 1 qualifier - one of the most competitive on the continent - undefeated in seven games, justified the accolades by edging out ACC reigning champions Primeiro D'Agosto, 86-82 in overtime.

The Angolans led 76-72 with 37 seconds remaining before the Tunisians fought back to tie the contest at 76-76 and send the game to overtime, where they kept the eight-time ACC champions at bay.

The Tunisians made efficient defensive adjustments in the extra session to hold D'Agosto leading scorers Edson Ndoniema and Steve Briggs - who combined to hit seven three-pointers - scoreless in the overtime.

Briggs finished with a game-high 30 points, Ndoniema added 22 before fouling out. With the win, Etoile Sportive Rades - the only undefeated team in Group B in four games - advanced to the next-round as group leaders.

Mohamed Abbassi had a team-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Mohamed Maghrebi and Cheyne Gadson added 17 points apiece in the winning cause. However, it was the second unit, paced by Averon Mathews, which proved the difference-maker, outscoring their Angolan counterparts 28-19.

I am very proud of my players. We are still the outsiders and we have not won anything yet, but we'll keep the same composure for future games. - Gavriel

Gavriel, who took charge of Etoile Sportive Rades in September and keeps building on the team's chemistry, talked to FIBA.com after the win.

"We came to this tournament without any pressure. We did not define objectives or anything like that. We came here to participate," he explained.

"We are a young team who aims to play good basketball. Omar Abada (21-year-old who played for Tunisia in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship) is playing great for us.

"We can't compare our team with teams like Primeiro D'Agosto, Sporting Alexandria or Libolo."

Gavriel seems to be making the most of past experiences, after losing to D'Agosto in the 2013 ACC Final, while coaching Etoile Sportive du Sahel.

Earlier in the day, Abidjan Basketball Club 'ABC' could not avoid suffering a fourth straight defeat to remain alive in the tournament as they fell 79-72 to ASB Mazembe (1-3), a result which ensured they would not get through to the next round.

After losing to D'Agosto on the opening day, Union Sportive Monastir (3-1) extended their winning streak to three games following a 76-65 victory over Nigerian Mark Mentors Basketball Club (1-3).

In Group A, hosts Club Africain (2-2) got the better of Malabo Kings 77-63 and Egyptian Sporting Alexandria (3-0) became the only undefeated team in the group following a 75-62 victory over BC M'Tsapare (0-3).

FIBA