By James Tasamba
KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Tunisia’s US Monastir beat Petro de Luanda of Angola 83-72 to win the 2022 Basketball Africa League (BAL) title Saturday in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.
Michael Dixon erupted to propel US Monastir to victory, with seven of 10 shooting to finish with a team-high 21 points, along with Firas Lahyani, to help the Tunisian side clinch the title, coming from behind to beat Petro de Luanda.
The 31-year-old point guard also dished out six assists.
Dixon was voted 2022 BAL Most Valuable Player.
US Monastir, which finished second in last year’s inaugural tournament, faced countless adversities for most of the game, but eventually found a way to win with their determination.
The team cruised to Saturday’s final after knocking out defending champions Zamalek from Egypt 88-81 in the semifinal. Petro de Luanda beat Cameroon's Forces Armees et Police (FAP) 88-74 in the semis.
Lahyani came in handy when Modrag Perisic’s team needed him most, contributing 21 on a six for nine shooting performance and grabbing a game-high 10 boards.
US Monastir, Souleyman Diabate, who spent most of his career in France’s top divisions, came off the bench to add 4 points and became the first player to win two BAL titles.
Early in the game, Dixon hit shots from almost everywhere but US Monastir was 0-8 from behind the arc in the first half. To worsen things, its bench was outscored 17-2 before the break.
With so many adversities and trailing by two at the end of the third quarter, Monastir picked up confidence.
Dixon hit a three-pointer that gave his team a 60-59 lead, their first in the second half.
Gerson Goncalves led the way for Petro with 28 points. Yanick Moreira added 18, while Carlis Morais dropped 12. No other Petro player was in double digits.
The BAL final that ran from May 21 featured eight top teams from the continent competing for the league’s title.
The league displayed some of Africa’s finest basketball talent with most teams having at least five national team players from their respective countries.
The teams included champions from the Tunisian, Angolan, Moroccon, South African, Cameroonian, Rwandan, Guinea and Egyptian national leagues.
Last year, Zamelek from Egypt, beat US Monastir 76-63 to be crowned champions.
Zamelek failed to protect its continental crown, finishing in the third place after beating Cameroon's Forces Armees et Police (FAP) 97-74 on Friday.
The BAL was born out of a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, a new professional league, featuring top club teams from across Africa.