KIBAHA (Tanzania) - Lova Raharidera's charges GNBC picked their second win in as many matches at the ongoing Road to BAL East Division Group D qualifiers with a 98-72 run against Seychelles' Beau Vallon Heat.
Elly Randriamampionona starred for the Madagascar side in the Island derby, scoring a game-high 33 points as GNBC made a second half comeback for the 26-point victory while subjecting the opponent to their third consecutive loss.
A 22-14 start for coach Augustin Scholastique's charges pointed to a first win in three matches but Randriamampionona orchestrated a 20-11 second quarter show to bring his side to within a point at 34-33 heading to the lockerooms.
GNBC dropped 14 in the opening five minutes of the third period to assume lead at 48-45 and never looked back, playing for quarters of 33-23 and 31-16 to shut down Beau Vallon Heat.
Turning Point: In a match that had 10 lead changes, GNBC's 10-point run in the last five minutes of the second period while restricting the opponent to six gave them the momentum they needed to win.
Game Hero: Elly Randriamampionona barely put a foot wrong inside the arc, missing just one of his 13 attempts and added three treys for 33 points. Game one hero Francis Ramanampamonjy Mory added 16 to the tally for victory.
Stats Don’t Lie: A 51-08 ratio on bench points and 23-04 points off turnovers gave GNBC all the ammunition they needed to shoot down the resilient Beau Vallon. Raharidera's charges dished 30 assists, double the number the opponent managed, the ball sharing proving crucial for the win.
Bottom Line: GNBC improve to a 2-0 ratio, improving their chances of qualification with two more matches against Nairobi City Thunder and Urunani to play. Beau Vallon's qualification chances have, however, been dimmed.
They said: "We had it in the first half with the good start but lack of individual effort when they started to pull back was our main undoing. This is a match we would have won but we also had many defensive blunders in the second half," said Damien Chang-Time who led the scoring for Beau Vallon with 20 points, coming a rebound shy of a double-double." We still have more matches to play and, while qualification is out of the question, we will be out to pick valuable lessons against those top teams. It has been an eye-opening experience so far and we have a lot to do back home if we are to compete at the same level with the other teams here."
"It was a slow start as we tried to settle in the game and it took a bit of time. We picked up well and sealed the win in the second with better execution. We came here prepared for each team and we will work hard in the remaining matches to book a slot to the Elite 16." - GNBC guard Elly Randriamampionona.
FIBA