Kamayengue sends resilient Bangui to the Semi-Finals

 

YAOUNDE (Cameroon) - There's no question as to who Bangui Sporting Club's hero was at the end of the hard-fought 83-70 win against ABC Fighters on Thursday. Yasser Kamayengue's name may not be a household one, but he kept Bangui's Basketball Africa League (BAL) dream very much alive.

There was no surprises either when the 18-year-old Kamayengue was mobbed by teammates and praised by some opponents at the end of the last game of Group B of the West Division Elite 16.

Kamayengue was 3-for-5 from behind the arc to finish with a game-high of 24 points off the bench.

TURNING POINT: Sensing that her starting line-up wasn't producing what they were expected to, Liz Mills called on the teenager Kamayengue who revolutionised Bangui's game.

And although ABC Fighters did put on a fight to keep their BAL dream alive, and managed a five-point lead at some point, Bangui found themselves against the wall, but they made sure bounce back from a disappointing loss to FUS Rabat 24 hours earlier.

Bangui held a 47-33 lead at the break, which, in all fairness, boosted the team's morale to keep on going. And as much as ABC tried to reverse and contain Bangui's onslaught, the Central African Republic champions stood firm.

HERO: Kamayengue had scored 31 points over the previous five games against Espoir BC, BC Virunga, FAP, SLAC and FUS Rabat, but on November 2, he probably played the most important game of his career with the Bangui uniform on.

Yasser Kamayengue

In addition to his 24 points, Kamayengue grabbed 3 rebounds, dished out 3 assists and finished with 3 steals to his credit. 

STATS DON'T LIE: Because of Kamayengue, Bangui's bench outscored ABC's 43-22, showing how impactful he was. Another bench player who made his presence felt in style was Rolly Fula who contributed 15 points.

At the end of the game, it became clear that three-point shooting set both teams apart with Bangui  successfully making 11 of their 25 three-point attempts while ABC were 6-for-29 from behind the arc. ABC were poor from the free-throw line, finishing 20-for-32 (58 percent).

BOTTOM LINE: Bangui entered this do-or-die game in the last position of the group - after SLAC's unexpected win over FUS Rabat - but the Central African Republic champions ended the day in the second place of Group B and a deserving place in the Semi-Finals. ABC Fighters, on the other hand, miss out on their attempt to qualify for the BAL for the second season in a row.

WHAT THEY SAID: "From the start, we knew it was not going to be an easy game because ABC is a big team and was in the BAL last season. We worked hard for this victory and we're glad we won." - Max Kouguere of Bangui SC.

"What happened today is unfortunate because we played like children. We didn't make our plays like we should and our defense was bad. Bangui was the stronger side and they played disciplined, set their plays and finished it well. I think we met a better side." - Ulrich Kra of ABC

FIBA