US Monastir one step closer to postseason, but still not satisfied

Former Basketball Africa League (BAL) champions US Monastir moved one step closer to the postseason after defeating Kriol Star 91-83 on Saturday at the Dakar Arena.

It was the Tunisian champions' second straight win over Kriol Star this season.

Unlike their 88-72 win over Kriol four days ago, US Monastir took the floor prepared for any adversity that might come their way, and they followed the script to perfection.

Osiris Eldridge and Radhouane Slimane opened the scoring with back-to-back three-pointers and, in a whisper, US Monastir had a 10-2 lead.

Nothing seemed to work for Kriol Star, who had four turnovers in seven minutes, almost as many as they'd turned the ball over (5) in their entire 95-92 overtime win over Ville de Dakar.

Kriol Star's ball movement was almost non-existent in the first half as they went into the locker room with just three assists to US Monastir's 15.

To make matters worse for the Cape Verdeans, Kriol Star were 0-7 from long range while Monastir were 7-14 in the first 20 minutes of play.

Although Kriol Star used a 9-0 scoring run to start the second quarter and cut the deficit to 29-26, Monastir responded with an 11-0 run to lead by as many as 16 points (46-30) at the half.

By halftime, US Monastir was comfortably in control with a 14-point lead (48-34).

US Monastir playmaker Patrick Hardy Jr. led all players with 29 points and dished out six assists.

The unguardable Radhouane Slimane finished the first half shooting 5-for-5, including 3-for-3 from deep, to go into the locker room with a game-high 13 points. He didn't attempt another shot until fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

NBA Academy player Lewis Uvwo, who hadn't played more than 10 seconds in the first four games, made the most of his 16:48 on Saturday, finishing with six points, three rebounds and a steal.

With the second win over Kriol Star, US Monastir improved to 3-2 while BAL debutant Kriol Star dropped to 2-3 with one game left for each team on Sunday.

Speaking to BAL.NBA.COM, US Monastir forward Andrew Edogi explained how they pulled off their third win of the 2025 BAL season.

"[The win over Kriol Star] makes us feel good; we still have one game to go, but it was a big win for us; we needed it. We needed every point; we need every
win we can get to make the playoffs.

As for what comes next for US Monastir, Edogi replied: "We're not satisfied; we feel like we let two games slip away and we really want to get our fourth win."

He continued: "Coach always said to stay humble, stay hungry. We were hungry for a win; we lost our last game to a tough team in Petro; we just wanted to make sure that we get this win today so that tomorrow we have a chance to move on to the next round."

US Monastir will close out the 2025 Sahara Conference on Sunday against ASC Ville de Dakar, while Kriol Star will face Petro de Luanda.