KIBAHA (Tanzania)- In an early statement of intent, Burundi champions Urunani raced to a 16-7 lead in the opening five minutes of their Road to BAL East Division Group D clash against hosts JKT and there was no denying them victory as they went on to pick a commanding 83-60 victory.
Former AS Duanes and NBA Academy Africa graduate Jean-Jaccques Boissy led the offense in the opening quarter, dropping 14 of Urunani's 25 in a period that the Tanzanian champions were restricted to nine.
A change up in defense for JKT troubled Urunani in the opening five minutes of the second period, managing a paltry three points as the hosts went on a 10-point run for 29-19.
The Burundians turned the tables on Christian Mwakingili's men, going on a 14-point run of their own for 43-24 after two quarters.
A 26-14 show in the third quarter for Urunani assured them of victory despite JKT going for a 22-14 final quarter which was too little too late to make a difference.
Turning Point: Mamadou Gueye's men gave themselves a 30-point advantage five minutes into the third quarter and JKT, who had a lacklustre defending strategy had no response, losing the match by 23.
Game Hero: Boissy was the star of the show, picking up from where he had left in the Burundian league where he was named MVP.
The Senegalese was on 14 points in the first period - 21 by half time - and added nine for 30 heading to the final stanza adding seven for 37. He barely put a foot wrong from beyond the arc, dropping 7-of-12 . He finished with a game-high 42 in efficiency, having added six assists, four steals and as many rebounds.
Stats Don't Lie: It is difficult to beat a side that has a single player scoring more points than the opponent in a given quarter. What's more 27 points for Urunani of JKT's 19 turnovers helped their case.
Bottom Line: Had JKT stuck to their second quarter opening form, they probably would have given themselves a chance. However, they got sucked into matching Urunani's speed on court and their ball handling suffered. Mwakingili's charges now have to regroup ahead of their clash with Madagascar's GNBC.
What They Said: "Our defense was not the best but we tried to push offensively with the pick and roll and we are happy for the win. Given that this was our first match, I think we executed our game plan well but we will watch video and work on any areas that we underperformed in," Urunani guard Jean Jacques Boissy.
"We were up against an experienced side, one that had height advantage as well and this troubled us. They play the same pressing game as we do and it was tough to make adjustments in this situation. We have alot to work on before the next match," JKT Coach Christian Mwakingili.
FIBA