Group B home side Forces Armees et Police (FAP) recorded the biggest winning margin of the Road to BAL 2024 so far thanks to a 104-56 triumph over Espoir Basket Club on Wednesday in Yaoundé. The win sees FAP stay perfect in the West Division qualifier before taking on the high-flying Bangui Sporting Club on Thursday in what is rated as one of the must-watch games in the tournament. ALSO READ: Liz Mills’ Bangui Sporting Club back to winning ways in BAL Qualifiers Etienne Tametong set the tone, leading FAP with a game-high 20 points. His 19-year-old James Nekthy teammate contributed 16 points off the bench and Arnold Kome made his presence felt with an 18-point performance. Tametong opened the scoring with a three-point, an early sign of FAP's game plan as the Cameroonian champions went on to close the game out with a 14-for-29 shooting from long range. FAP not only outscored their opponents but they also had a 50-25 rebounding advantage, which included 23 offensive rebounds, and, importantly, the team moved the ball exceptionally well, finishing with 22 assists compared to Espoir Basket's five. ALSO READ: Road to BAL: COSPN progresses to Elite 16 round Espoir opened the third quarter with a 4-0 run after trailing 56-31 at the break, but it was a short-lived attempt to contest FAP as the hosts responded with a 16-0 run in a five-minute span, stretching the lead out of Espoir Basket’s reach. The third quarter looked more like a practice session with all FAP players contributing at least one point each. And, as much as Hermann Igouwe tried to keep Espoir Basket Club in the game, they never found answers to FAP's relentless rhythm on both ends of the floor. Igouwe, the only Espoir Basket to score in double digits, finished with 16 points. ALSO READ: BAL: Two clubs pull out of qualifiers Group B action concludes on Thursday with the final standing yet to be determined. The teams that finish in the top two places of the group advance to the West Division Elite 16 to be held in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire later this month. So far, teams qualified for the West Division Elite 16 are hosts ABC Fighters (Cote d'Ivoire), SLAC (Guinea), Stade Malien (Mali), Al Ahly Benghazi (Libya) and FUS Rabat (Morocco).
