ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Stade Malien secured the first qualifying ticket on offer for the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season by beating Kadji Sport Academy (KSA) 80-59 on Saturday in Abidjan.
It was the Malian champions' fifth win in row this season before they take on the winner of the second Semi-Final between Al Ahli Tripoli Sport vs ABC Fighters to determine the winner of the 2025 Road to BAL West Division winner.
There were only two scenarios for Stade Malien and KSA: Win and advance to the BAL or lose and see your 2025 BAL dream come to an end.
Stade Malien's sense of urgency for most of the game turned out to be the biggest difference between the two teams.
KSA, who came to the decisive encounter with a 5-2 win-loss ratio, made some changes to its starting line-up with team-founder Kenneth Kadji starting a Road to BAL game for the first time, but Stade Malien looked unimpressed.
Mahamane Coulibaly inspired the 2023 BAL semifinalists with a game-high 19 points while Kadji led his team in scoring with 12 points.
TURNING POINT: There were a few scoring runs that impacted and influenced the outcome of the first game.
First, KSA had their largest of the game (10-4) early in the opening quarter, but Stade Malien responded with a 9-0 run to close the first ten minutes with a 17-12 lead.
Secondly, KSA fought back, managed a 27-26 advantage midway through second quarter, but the Bamako-based team responded with a 15-0 scoring run to lead 45-28 at the break. And KSA never led again.
Then, things went from bad to worse in the third quarter with Stade Malien extending their advantage to as many as 25 points.
HERO: Mamadou Doucoure's 8 points off the bench might not seem anything extraordinary but his dominance in the paint, particularly in the low and high post, proved costly to KSA, who struggled to guard the 2.06m (6ft 9in) center.
Doucoure added 14 rebounds to record his second double-double performance of the season.
STATS DON'T LIE: Moving the ball at an exceptionally fast pace, and completing 20 assists compared to KSA's 10 turned out to be fundamental for the Malian side.
But one aspect that set Boubacar Kanoute's team apart from their opponents was the way they shot from long range.
Not particularly an exceptional three-point shooting team, Stade Malien were 6-for-14 from the arch in the first half, before settling for a 10-for-23 at the end of the game.
BOTTOM LINE: With 2:30 minutes left and a 76-54 lead, Stade Malien bench players started their celebrations with hand-shakings, a sign of a job well done.
Stade Malien's fast-paced game style combined with an impressive ball movement proved too much for the KSA, who will now fight for the 2025 Road to BAL West Division Third-Place against the losing team of the game between Al Ahli Tripoli Sport v ABC Fighters.
FIBA