Murphy inspires Al Ahly to their first win of the season

Even if they were returning to the floor less than 24 hours after suffering a grueling one-point loss in the final seconds of the previous game, losing two games in a row was never an option for Al Ahly.

Although the 2023 BAL champions had a slow start to the game, they demonstrated their resilience later in the fourth quarter to secure a 76-72 victory over ASC Ville de Dakar.

Al Ahly are now 1–1, while ASC Ville de Dakar dropped to 0–2.

After missing their first six shots and accruing three turnovers early on, Al Ahly found themselves 8-0 down, prompting head coach Linos Gavriel to call a timeout. 

Following Gavriel’s instructions, Al Ahly scored eight consecutive points, followed by an Amr Gendy three-pointer that turned the tide of the game and gave them an 11-10 lead.

Al Ahly then embarked on a scoring spree, leading by as many as 11 points in the second quarter. Al Ahly led 42-32 at the break.

On reflection, the film of the game showed how Al Ahly’s 52–43 rebounding advantage proved crucial, especially in the final seconds when Kevin Murphy missed a pair of free throws that ended up in the hands of Al Ahly.

Majok fought tirelessly, grabbing rebounds, making shots and inspiring his teammates. Majok finished with team highs of 16 points and six rebounds. However, the former BAL Defensive Player of the Year’s efforts were in vain, as ASC Ville de Dakar will have to win their last three games of the 2026 Sahara Conference to secure their first victory. 

Kevin Murphy led Al Ahly in scoring with 21 points, while his teammate Jon Jordan provided vital support with 12 points. 

Losing two in a row isn’t the ideal scenario, Ibrahima Sylla admitted: “We made many defensive and offensive mistakes today, which cost us the game. We’ll try to learn from those mistakes and come back stronger — there is no other option. We have to play better.”

Sylla, who scored 2 of his team’s 4 three-pointers, remained upbeat about their chances in the competition. He said: “FUS Rabat will be tough opponents, but we’ll do everything we can to win with the group of players we have. We need it. We will do everything in our power to qualify for Kigali.”

When asked to shed light on Al Ahly’s first win of the season, center Omar Oraby explained the mood in the locker room. He said: “After a tough loss last night, we had to bounce back. The most important thing for us was to hold on until the end of the game. We badly needed this win. Games don’t end until the final whistle. The competition is tough, and it gets better every year. You can’t rule anyone out.”

Both teams return to action on Wednesday with ASC Ville de Dakar facing off against FUS Rabat and Al Ahly taking on Maktown Flyers.