KIBAHA (Tanzania) - Madagascar champions GNBC raced to a 89-72 win over hosts JKT as the Road to BAL East Division Group D qualifiers entered day two.
This was the opening match for the Islanders but a second loss for the hosts who played for a loss to Urunani on the opening day.
JKT had a good start, leading 8-4 and 16-6 early but Elly Randriamampionona orchestrated a comeback that saw the Malagasy National-funded team trail by five at 20-15 at the conclusion of the first quarter.
Francis Ramanampamonjy Mory brought his side to within a basket at 21-19, but Jonas Oberlin Mushi dropped a trey to restore the five-point advantage, albeit shortly. GNBC leveled the score at 26 through a Mory layup with five minutes left in the quarter.
A lapse in concentration for the hosts saw GNBC go on a 7-point run to lead 36-29 with 2.23 to play in the second quarter but the hosts fought back to trail by a basket heading to the locker rooms.
Omary Ndula reclaimed JKT's lead at 54-52 with a mid-range jumper but Elly was at hand with an immediate response from behind the arc. Solonirina Ndranto made it a six-point game with just over three minutes on the clock. JKT, however, refused to go, trailing 66-61 heading to the final period. A 23-11 show in the final stanza for GNBC sealed the victory.
Turning Point: Back-to-back treys for GNBC in the opening two minutes of the final quarter and a mix of turnovers and missed shots for coach Christian Mwakingili's men that allowed the Islanders to go on a 11-0 run made all the difference in a match that could have gone either way.
Game Hero: Three of GNBC's players dropped over 20 points, Francis Ramanampamonjy Mory doing the most with 25 points, off an impressive 9-of-13 shooting, adding seven rebounds, and six assists for a game-high 33 in efficiency. Ndranto and Randriamampionona added 25 and 23 points respectively for the win.
Stats Don’t Lie: In a match that had seven lead-changes and as many ties, GNBC's bench proved the game changer, contributing 58 against JKT's 16. Two of the side's top scorers, Randriamampionona and Ndranto started on the bench. The side's ball sharing was better as evidenced by the 22-08 assists ratio between the two sides.
Bottom Line: The Madagascar champions GNBC begin their hunt on a positive note and coach Lova Raharidera will look to build on this momentum going forward. Hosts, JKT will have themselves to blame for glaring mistakes that gave the opponent the chance to pull away in the last quarter for victory, making their qualification chances much more complicated with a 0-2 run.
They said: "We could have won this game but our execution in the final quarter was our main undoing; theirs was done to perfection, picking a lead that proved tough to close. We dust ourselves and regroup for the next match. We still have hopes of qualification and will fight for that," JKT's Jonas Mushi who top scored for his side with 20 as Ndula added 18 in the loss.
"JKT had a good start and we had to find a way to beat them, which we did in the final quarter. It was important for us to win this opening match as it sets the pace for the remaining fixtures and helps us identify areas that need improvement. We respect all teams here so we will take it one match at a time and adjust as we go," GNBC's Mory.
FIBA