Nadi Basket Staoueli beat Nabaya Sofas 83-54 to progress to the Road to BAL 2027 Elite16 semi-finals. Kurt-Curry Wegscheider scored 14 points as Nadi Basket dominated the game.
Last Updated on
November 12, 2026
A nightmare start for Nabaya Sofas allowed Nadi Basket Staoueli to secure a crucial victory and advance to the semifinals.
Algerian champions Nadi Basket Staoueli sealed the only semis slot in contention on Day 3 of the Road to BAL Elite 16 Division West after overpowering Guinea’s Nabaya Sofas 83-54 on Thursday, 12 November 2026.
Heading to the final Group B encounter, both sides had a mathematical chance of qualifying, despite the Guinean-based club being winless after two games. However, NBS, who carried a 1-1 record into the crucial encounter, left nothing to chance, going out hard in the opening quarter, a performance that eventually proved key in sealing the all-important victory.
The Sid Ali Ghrib-led Algerians quickly asserted their dominance, opening the game with an 18-0 run in the first 3:23. Although Nabaya had challenged Group B leaders Al Ittihad in their previous game, they couldn’t replicate that performance, leading to a one-sided contest.
Alseny Bah finally broke the deadlock for Nabaya with 6:06 to play, but Nabaya barely got into rhythm, trailing 32-8 in the opening quarter. The 24-point difference was not only an advantage for the North Africans, but also a demotivating factor for an otherwise hard-fighting Nabaya side that never found its footing, not for lack of trying.
The second quarter was closely fought, but NBS still dictated the pace, leading 46-23 heading into halftime despite trailing 15-14. Another close 17-13 third quarter, in favour of the eventual winners, did little to spice up the encounter as Nabaya found themselves trailing by 27 points (63-36) heading into the final stanza.
Despite stringing together a 10-0 burst over two minutes in the final period to trim the deficit from 73-41 to 73-51, it was too little too late for Nabaya to threaten, and a 20-18 show sealed the win for the Algerians.
Corey Manigault led NBS with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-6 from two-point range, and made his only free throw. He finished two rebounds short of a double-double.
NBA Academy Africa alumnus Kurt-Curry Wegscheider also scored 14 points and added five assists. Amine Bensalah led with 11 rebounds, one more than Mahdi Zaim, and contributed five points and three assists. Zaim added six points.
For Nabaya, Kabinet Kaba stood out with a double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds, along with three blocks and one assist in 33:48, earning a 21 efficiency rating.
Attention now turns to Saturday’s semifinals, with the winners assured of a place in the 2027 BAL season.
