How Tripoli moved to 2-0 and Nairobi remain winless after two games

On Sunday, Al Ahli Tripoli sent a message by outscoring Nairobi City Thunder 115-87 in the first game of Game Day 2 of the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Nile Conference in Kigali, Rwanda.

It was the highest-scoring game in BAL history.

How did Tripoli move to 2-0, while Nairobi City Thunder remained winless after two games?

In this article, BAL.NBA.com provides insight into the differences between Tripoli and Nairobi in Game 3 of the Nile Conference.

A quick look at the Libyan champions' game plan reveals a team that typically starts strong, often with long-range shots.

As they did in their first game of the season against MBB, Al Ahli Tripoli hit two straight three-pointers to take a 6-0 lead.

First, Nassen Badrush hit a three-pointer, and then Deon Thompson followed with another.

In a quick sequence of scoring opportunities, Nairobi City Thunder found themselves trailing 10–0 before Coach Brad Ibs called a timeout 3:16 minutes into the game.

Al Ahli Tripoli closed the opening quarter with a 24–18 lead and opened the second quarter with another three-pointer.

Nairobi City Thunder then used a 6-0 scoring run to cut the gap to just two points (39-37), forcing Al Ahli Tripoli coach Fouad Abou Chacra to call a timeout with 4:50 left in the second quarter.

Nairobi City Thunder's worst nightmare came true early in the third quarter when Jaylen Adams and Jean Jacques Boissy of the Libyan champions, each made two three-pointers each to give their team a 67-41 lead.

Al Ahli Tripoli eventually tied Petro de Luanda’s BAL record for most three-pointers in a game (20), moving a step closer to the BAL postseason.

Boissy, who had set a season record for most three-pointers in Game 24, became the first player to score 30 points in a single game this season.

Jaylen Adams scored 26 points, Mohamed Sadi scored 20, and Côte d'Ivoire international Deon Thompson contributed 21 points and 14 rebounds for the victors.

Uchenna Iroegbu led the Thunder in scoring with 18 points and remained upbeat after their second loss in as many games.

“It’s not how we bounce back; it’s a must. We must bounce back. Luckily, being down by that many points doesn’t carry over to the next game. The next game starts 0–0. We have to bring a new mindset and energy to the next game.”

Later, Al Ahli Tripoli guard Bakeer Fellah shared his thoughts on the team’s mindset.

He said: "Togetherness won us the game. We shared the ball, and we all had one goal.”

"We are locked in. We are thinking of everyone back home right now. They are in our hearts, and we are going to continue striving to be great at this game.”

The 2025 Nile Conference resumes on Tuesday, with Nairobi City Thunder taking on MBB and Al Ahli Tripoli going up against the conference hosts, APR.