Al Ittihad maintained their unbeaten Road to BAL 2027 Elite16 campaign with an 80-69 victory over Nabaya Sofas, overcoming a spirited challenge to secure their semi-final place as Keron Deshields led the Libyan champions with 21 points.
Last Updated on
November 10, 2026
The Road to BAL 2027 Elite 16 West Division action continued at the Palais des Sports de Treichville, as Libyan side Al Ittihad extended their winning streak with an 80-69 win over Guinea’s Nabaya Sofas.
The star-studded Libyan champions had opened the tournament with a statement win over Nadi Basket Staoueli of Algeria. This 98-59 win sent a clear message to the rest of the Division that they meant business.
Unlike their opening match, where Fouad Bou Chakra’s team were clear favourites, Al Ittihad faced strong resistance from Nabaya. The game featured six lead changes and six ties. Nabaya out-rebounded Al Ittihad but struggled to defend against second-chance points, trailing 18-7 in that category. Nabaya also committed 21 turnovers, resulting in 25 points for Al Ittihad, while scoring only eight points from Al Ittihad’s nine turnovers.
Although Al Ittihad benefited from the BAL experience of Mohamed Sadi, Antino Jackson Jr., Ivan Almeida, and Deng Deng, Keron Deshields led the offence with 21 points, shooting 7-of-10 from inside. Jackson Jr. and Almeida each added 14 points, and Ismael Romero contributed 13. Deng led in rebounding with 12, finishing just two points short of a double-double.
Romero opened the scoring from the line, sparking a 10-2 run for Al Ittihad in the first two minutes. Junior Diabate, who finished with a game-high 25 points, kept Nabaya competitive, narrowing the gap to 10-5 with 7:33 left. After Al Ittihad extended their lead to 14-5, Diabate, assisted by Kyliann Rotardier, scored a five-point play to cut the deficit to 14-10 midway through the period.
Al Ittihad, however, rallied to pull away, with Deshields contributing three in the final 28 seconds of the opening period to give his side a double-digit (26-16) lead heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter began slowly, prompting Nabaya to call a timeout with 6:41 remaining after scoring only once to trail 30-18. Diabate responded with a three-pointer to spark Nabaya’s comeback. Despite two timeouts from Al Ittihad, Mamadou Keita hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 34, energising the Nabaya bench.
Jackson Jr. grabbed the lead right back, and the game headed to halftime at 37-34, but it was game on as Nabaya had outscored the loaded Al Ittihad 18-11.
The third quarter was competitive, with Kabinet Kaba’s jump shot narrowing the gap to 37-36. Rotardier then tied the game from the line and gave Nabaya a 38-37 lead. Both teams traded runs, with Al Ittihad leading 42-38 before Nabaya responded with a 9-0 run to take a 47-42 lead. Al Ittihad quickly recovered, regaining the lead at 53-51 heading into the final quarter.
Nabaya kept pace with Al Ittihad in the first three minutes of the final quarter, taking a 60-58 lead after Keita’s three-pointer and Kaba’s alley-oop layup with 7:08 remaining. Deng then led a 14-2 run for Al Ittihad, restoring a double-digit lead at 72-62 and putting the game out of reach for Nabaya with 4:25 left.
Souleymane Camara’s Nabaya fought back to 72-69, but costly errors allowed Al Ittihad to secure the win with consecutive three-pointers from Sadi and Deshields.
With this win, Bou Chakra’s team secures a place in the semi-final and will aim to maintain their unbeaten record against Espoir Basket on Thursday. Nabaya, meanwhile, will seek their first tournament victory after a narrow 73-72 loss to Espoir on opening night.
