Al Ahly Ly slow down Dar City to secure first win of the season

After three games of the 2026 BAL season, Al Ahly Ly celebrated their first win, beating Dar City 118–97 in Pretoria on Tuesday. 

The Libyan champions quickly established a 17–4 lead in the opening quarter, prompting Mamadou Gueye to call a timeout. 

Although Dar City responded with a 5-0 scoring run, they never took the lead.

By halftime, Dar City were trailing by 17 points (51-34). 

Al Ahly Ly were facing a must-win scenario after losing their first two games against the RSSB Tigers and Petro de Luanda. 

Tuesday’s win over Dar City increased Al Ahly Ly’s chances of securing one of the four playoff spots in the Kalahari Conference with two games remaining. 

Al Ahly Ly head coach Ahmed Soliman knew he had to reinvent his team’s strategy, which was evident in Al Ahly Ly’s starting lineup. Reigning BAL MVP Jean Jacques Boissy started the game on the bench, replaced by Mohamed Sadi. 

2024 BAL MVP Jo Lual Acuil came up with his third consecutive double-double performance, finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Donovan Williams and Majok Deng led Al Ahly Ly with 22 points apiece, Boissy added 18 points off the bench and Damion Baugh contributed 16 points and set a BAL record with 18 assists.

Talking to the BAL.NBA.COM, Baugh said: "It was very important for us to win this game. It was either win or go home. We'll focus on the next ones. Win! That was our mindset coming into this game. No matter what, it was all about win this game. We have to play the same way we played tonight. Let's just get the next two wins and, hopefully, we'll qualify to the playoffs."

Baugh credited his performance to his teammates who kept pushing him. "Credit to my teammates and I feel good about my performance," he said.

Dar City looked nothing like the team that had outplayed Nairobi City and the Johannesburg Giants to enter Tuesday’s game with a 2–0 record.

The Tanzanians' slow start, coupled with their poor shooting (0-for-5 from the floor), was a stark contrast to Al Ahly Ly’s scoring prowess. 

By halftime, Junior Madut was the only Dar City player to have scored in double digits with 12 points, while Donovan Williams had propelled Al Ahly Ly with 17. 

The first 20 minutes proved crucial for the victors, who had a 27–17 rebounding advantage and forced Dar City into nine turnovers.

Michael Foster led Dar City with a game-high 37 points. David Michineau added 20 and Junior Madut finished with 18 points off the bench.

This was the first time this season that Al Ahly Ly conceded fewer than 100 points. They also became the first team to score over 104 points this season.

This was also the games the with most points combined (215), surpassing the 213 registered in APR's 123-90 win over Al Ittihad Alexandria last year.