US Monastir find answers on the bench to beat Rivers Hoopers

Ahmed Doumbia’s three-pointer at the buzzer came too late, only narrowing the final score gap to single digits in favor of US Monastir.

Although it looked promising for Rivers Hoopers for most of the first half, US Monastir had the last laugh, winning 89-81.

The Tunisian champions started the 2025 BAL Playoffs the same way they did last year, when they beat the eventual champions, Petro de Luanda, in the seeding game.

The Rivers Hoopers looked unstoppable in the first two quarters and early in the third, exhibiting an entertaining style of play.

However, when Coach Vasco Curado called on his bench to find an answer to the Rivers Hoopers' dominance, he succeeded.

Andrew Edogi, Joackim Haddad, and Babacar Sane proved vital, combining for 39 points off the bench.

Edogi sparked US Monastir with two game-changing three-pointers, helping the Tunisians take a 63-59 lead midway through the third quarter, a lead they would not relinquish.

Haddad sank two three-pointers of his own, and Sane executed a series of lethal plays that left the Hoopers helpless.

Babacar led US Monastir with 22 points off the bench, Patrick Hardy Jr. added 17 and Osiris Eldridge contributed 10 points.

Raphael Putney gave US Monastir the most trouble in the first half. He shot 5-for-9 from the three-point line and finished with thunderous dunks on many occasions.

He finished with a game-high 28 points. His teammates Madut Akec and Peter Olisemeka contributed 15 and 11 points, respectively, with Olisemeka earning his third double-double of the season with 10 rebounds.

"Our bench is one of our strengths. Anyone can come off the bench and contribute. Babacar is a good example of the depth of our roster,” said Haddad, who finished with six points.

He went on to explain that US Monastir’s early struggles had little to do with their ability to compete.

“It's always hard to start a playoff campaign. All we needed to do was stick together. We knew good things could happen if we played unselfishly," he said.

He made sure to emphasize their goals: “We believe we can beat any team in these playoffs, but we’re taking it one game at a time,” Haddad stressed.

Putney had mixed feelings after the game.

He was disappointed by the Hoopers’ loss but felt welcomed in Pretoria.

"It felt good to come back to Pretoria. I enjoyed my time with the Cape Town Tigers, but I'm on a different team now. I'm just showing the fans what I can do. Hopefully, I can continue winning and bring my team a championship.”

Looking ahead to the Rivers Hoopers’ quarterfinal clash against APR, he remained optimistic. "We just need to stay poised. I think we have a good chance of going far in these playoffs. We're still the underdogs and have a lot to prove. But if we stick together, we'll be able to win."

US Monastir improved their record to 5-2, while the Hoopers are 4-3.

On Monday, in the quarterfinals, US Monastir will face Petro de Luanda in a battle of two BAL champions, while the Rivers Hoopers will go up against APR.