Al Ittihad fought back in the closing stages to beat Nabaya Sofas 80-69, maintaining their unbeaten start to the 2027 Road to the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elite 16 with a second consecutive victory.
The Libyan side, widely regarded as one of the favourites to qualify for BAL 2027, looked in control after taking a 26-16 lead in the first quarter. However, Nabaya mounted an impressive comeback and took the lead for much of the third quarter, forcing Al Ittihad to dig deep to secure victory.
Mohamed Sadi, who won the BAL title with Al Ahli Tripoli in 2025, was among the experienced players who helped Al Ittihad regain control when the game was on the line. He played 38 minutes for the winning side.
Al Ittihad's defensive strategy largely kept Sharif Fordham and Kyliann Rotardier in check, but young shooting guard Junior Diabate made the most of the opportunities presented to him.
Diabate delivered a game-high 25 points, including five three-pointers from nine attempts, to keep Nabaya firmly in contention. Kabinet Kaba also contributed a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
However, Al Ittihad's experience proved decisive in the closing stages. Joel Almeida (14 points), Sadi, Keron DeShields (21 points) and Antino Jackson Jr. (14 points) stepped up with crucial baskets to help the Libyan side pull away.
The victory lifted Al Ittihad to a 2-0 record in the Elite 16, while Nabaya Sofas slipped to 0-2 and now find their chances of qualifying for BAL in serious jeopardy.
Staoueli bounce back with win over Espoir
Elsewhere, Nadi Basket Staoueli bounced back from their opening-game defeat to Al Ittihad by edging Rwanda's Espoir Basket Club 66-59 on Tuesday at Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan.
The Algerian champions needed an immediate response to keep their hopes of securing a place in next year's BAL alive, and forward Amine Bensalah delivered with a game-high 27 points.
For Bensalah, the encounter was more than just another group-stage fixture, as he described it as a final.
Staoueli started aggressively, relying on drives to the basket rather than settling for three-point attempts. Bensalah and Kurt-Curry Wegscheider, who finished with 10 points, led the early offensive charge.
The Algerians took a 25-20 lead in the first quarter before Espoir responded defensively in the middle quarters, restricting their opponents to just 10 points in each period.
Despite Espoir's defensive improvement, Staoueli continued to find ways to attack the basket, with Mahdi Zaim, Hichem Dekakene and Corey Mamigault causing problems inside and creating driving lanes for Bensalah.
Espoir, who had only eight active players, struggled to maintain their momentum after returning to action less than 24 hours following their dramatic 73-72 victory over Nabaya Sofas.
The Rwandan side appeared to run out of energy as Staoueli capitalised on their limited rotation to secure a crucial victory.
The result leaves both teams tied on a 1-1 record in Group B ahead of their next fixtures on Thursday.