NAIROBI (Kenya) - Urunani have, for the second time in the East Division Elite 16, dispensed Uganda's City Oilers to finish third.
In a game that the Ugandan's came back from a slow first quarter to take a sizable lead in the second period, they failed to hold on, losing by the slightest of margins in a 77-75 show.
Oilers led 13-11 in the opening five minutes but the Burundians took over to lead 26-18. A second quarter to forget for Urunani saw Parrish Petty leading his troops on a 25-8 rally while keeping the opponent pointless for five minutes.
City Oilers headed to the break on a 43-34 advantage.
Urunani, however, turned the tables in the third quarter, going on a run of their own to come within a basket of the Andrew Tendo-coached Oilers in the opening half of the stanza before leading by two heading to the final period.
A dramatic final quarter had everyone on the edge as the two sides fought to pick the third slot from the East, Urunani prevailing.
TURNING POINT: A 19-0 run in the second quarter for Andrew Tendo's Oilers turned the game on its head, leaving the Burundians chasing a match they had commanded in the opening stanza. Urunani fought to level the score at 50, and again at 56, before assuming lead at 58-56 at the end of the third to renew hopes of repeating their group stage.
Mamadou Pabi Gueye's men led 69-61 in the opening five minutes as Oilers, who missed the services of regulars Titus Odeke and Germaine Roebuck Jr to injuries in the Semis, coming back to turn the game into a see-saw on home stretch, Urunani holding for the victory.
HERO: Marcus Christopher Crawford' trey, his fourth in the match, sealed the win for Urunani with three seconds to a game that could have ended either way. He finished with 20 points. Mohamed Doumbya also made his contribution with a double-double on 13 points and 14 rebounds.
STATS DON'T LIE: City Oilers' 17 turnover that saw Urunani go 21-13 ahead but it was on the paint that the Burundians got the job done with a 40-28 show. Their bench also outscored the opposition 31-7.
BOTTOM LINE: Oilers are out, for the first time since their debut in BAL 2023 while Urunani closed their East Division Elite 16 campaign with a 7-1 mark. The win over City Oilers came as a response of a team that registered a flawless campaign until falling short to Kriol Star in the semifinals.
THEY SAID: "It was a game of fine margins, came down to zero points with seconds but there had to be a loser. I am, however proud of my guys. We lost two key players in the lead up to this game and the squad that was on the floor showed up," Andrew Tendo, head coach City Oilers.
"The basketball gods were on their side tonight. It came down to the last shot, a tough shot, Urunani had the confidence to take it. We did everything we could all game, we played hard, came this close to win and it hurts," Falando Cortez Jones, Oilers forward.
"It was a good game, and we had to unlock a different level to win. Should we make it to BAL by chance we will change many things in our team," Mohamed Doumbya, Urunani forward.
FIBA