DAKAR, Senegal -- Two days after Cape Verdean side Kriol Star's shock win over Basketball Africa League Sahara Conference hosts ASC Ville de Dakar, Tunisia's US Monastir brought them crashing back to earth with a comfortable 88-72 victory on Tuesday.
Kriol Star welcomed point guard Patrick McGlynn IV back from injury, but they were hit with a fresh blow as Richaud Pack, who had led the offense in his absence, missed the game with an injury sustained on Sunday. They took an early lead, with Ivan Almeida on a tear in the early minutes -- scoring their first nine points as they went 9-2 up.
Monastir spread their scoring, with Babacar Sané, Radhouane Slimane and Firas Lahyani all on song, but Kriol Star held an 18-17 lead at quartertime before Monastir dominated the second stanza to lead 45-30 at halftime.
The third quarter was relatively even, but Patrick Hardy Jr. and Deng Acuoth took over and Monastir led 64-48 at the final break.
The Almeida brothers each hit double-figures as Kriol Star fought until the final buzzer, and Ivan's 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and a steal arguably made him the best player on either side. Patrick McGlynn scored 18 points, while Joel Almeida chipped in with 10 points and two steals.
However, Monastir simply had too much in reserve. Hardy was their top scorer with 19 points and five assists, while Lahyani scored 15 points with eight boards, and Sané and Acuoth each posted 13 points.
Kriol Star's Joel Ntambwe credited Monastir for being more prepared for the match, and Deng Acuoth hailed the impact of Monastir coach Vasco Curado's scouting system.
"The coach is great," Acouth said in the post-match press conference. "He pays a lot of attention to detail. He prepares us right for the game -- defensive schemes... offense, and how we can best play our opponents. He does a great job."
Kriol Star coach Hugo Salgado said that he and his players were outclassed, but he hoped to have a full roster available for Thursday's rematch against ASC Ville de Dakar.
"It's an injury from the last game," Salgado said of Pack's absence. "We are [doing everything] to have him back as soon as possible. I hope [he recovers] already [by] Thursday, and we have one game at least with a full roster.