Saturday, February 24 APR 84-77 Al Rayyan APR basketball club on Saturday, February 24, beat Qatari champions Al Rayyan 84-77 in a warm-up match preparing for the upcoming Basketball Africa League 2024. The game took place at Al Rayyan Indoor Arena in Doha where the army side is currently holding its training camp. APR face Al Rayyan in second BAL buildup game Al Rayyan won the first quarter 23-22, but Mazen Trakh’s bounced back to win second one 23-13 to lead the game with 45- 36 before the pair headed into the half time break. Back for the second half, Al Rayyan narrowly won the third quarter 23-21 and reduced the deficit to seven points going into the last quarter. But APR coped with the home side’s pressure and maintained their seven-point lead till the last second of the game after both sides were tied to 18-18 in the final quarter. Point guard Jean-Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza scored a game high 19 points as new signings Adonis Filer and Michael Dixion added 13 and 10 points, respectively. On Al Rayyan ‘s side, Andrew Jackson White and Mouhammad Faye were club’s leading scorers with 14 points each while Malik Salem added 12 points. ALSO READ: Basketball: APR beat Qatar's Al Wakrah in warm-up match Speaking to Times Sport after the match, Trakh described Al Rayyan as a strong and experienced team but commended his men for their teamwork and sticking to the game-plan with which they were rewarded a ‘deserved’ win. ALSO READ: APR take BAL 2024 preps to Qatar “We always want to play together as a team, and we did it today. I think the players understand more about sharing the ball, stopping the transition, taking the best shots, and selecting the shooters,” Trakh said in an interview. APR will for the first time be participating in BAL, an elite African basketball club competition backed by the NBA. ALSO READ: Basketball: APR line up friendly game Against Al Wakrah They are pooled in the Sahara Conference of BAL which will stage from May 4-12 in Dakar, Senegal. The conference also comprises Tunisia’s US Monastir, AS Douanes of Senegal and Nigerian Champions Rivers Hoopers. Trakh’s team returns to action on Sunday, February where they will once again face Al Wakrah whom they beat in their first buildup game on Thursday.
