NAIROBI (Kenya) - In front of an electric crowd at the 5,000-seater Kasarani Indoor Arena, home side Nairobi City Thunder survived a late rally by Uganda's City Oilers to win 72-62 and book the latest ticket from the East Division Elite 16 to BAL 2025.
The side makes history as the first Kenyan side to qualify for BAL, achieving the feat on debut in the Road to BAL.
Israel Otobo opened action with Parrish Petty giving Oilers a 4-2 lead but Uche Iroegbu grabbed the lead at 7-6, Tylor Ongwae dropping a trey to stretch their lead to 10-06 and Ater Majok doubled the lead at 16-8 with two minutes to play in the period.
The opening quarter ended 18-11.
A 5-0 run for the hosts in the opening minute of the second saw them take a double-digit lead at 23-11, Petty going back-to-back from behind the arc for 23-18. Four treys down the stretch, two for each side ending the half 34-26 in favour of Thunder.
In a game of runs, the Ugandans went on a 6-0 one off the locker rooms to come to within a basket of Thunder but Ibs charges pulled away for 41-32, but Oilers refused to go as they came threateningly close at 41-40 with yet another run involving the lethal shooting Petty. Thunder were, however, able to regroup for a nervy 54-45 with a buzzer-beating treble from Garang Diing.
TURNING POINT: Falando Cortez Jones, in quick succession, shot from behind the arc down the stretch in the final quarter to bring Oilers 66-60, Roger Dauna adding a basket for a four-point game but Andrew Tendo's men could not muster a finish to turn the game in their favour.
HERO: Uche Iroegbu was a true floor general against Oilers, dropping 16 points, one less than the top scorer, providing six assists while picking five rebounds and four steals. For a game-high 27 in efficiency, the American-Nigerian he only gave away the ball once, adding two blocks for a perfect show. Ater Majok's double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds pushed the home side ahead, despite his 7 turnovers.
STATS DON'T LIE: Oilers missed nine of their 16 from the free throw line, most in crucial moments, but it was on the paint where they lost the plot, going behind 34-24. Thunder's 10-of-29 against the Ugandan champions' 9-of-33 from behind the arc kept the home side in the match in moments of pressure for victory
BOTTOM LINE: On their debut, Thunder qualify for BAL 2025, joining Cape Verde's Kriol Star who are also featuring for the first time. Oilers, on their part, miss what would have been their third consecutive BAL campaign.
THEY SAID " This is a historic moment for us and for the country and to be part of this feels great. We played a good game, against a better team than any other we have faced so far and my players left everything on the court for this moment," Thunder head coach Bradley Ibs.
"We have been grinding in the last three months, preparing for this. Our practices have been very tough and that kind of preparation has propelled us to this moment. We are happy to make history for Kenya, " Tylor Ongwae, captain Thunder.
"We had a slow start, allowed them to build a lead that we tried but failed to close in on as they kept fighting. We miss the direct ticket and this is a wake up call to get back to work and prepare better for the next one," Andrew Tendo, head coach City Oilers.
FIBA