Al Ittihad Alexandria needed to hit the 100-point mark to hand Rivers Hoopers their first loss of the 2025 BAL, Sports247 reports.
In a statement of intent, Al Ittihad became the first team in the 2025 Kalahari Conference to reach the 100-point mark.
Kyle Vinales, Abdelrahman Mohamed, and George King exploited Rivers Hoopers’ sloppy perimeter defense in a 100-80 win on Tuesday.
In a clash of two previously undefeated teams, the Egyptian champions proved superior in almost every aspect of the game.
The Alexandria-based team improved to 3-0, while the Hoopers dropped to 2-1.
Rivers Hoopers, who had limited their opponents to 71 points per game in their first two outings, trailed 71-58 with three minutes left in the third quarter.
Vinales shot 6-for-10 from beyond the arc to finish with a game-high 26 points. Abdelrahman Mohamed was 4-for-6 from three-point range, contributing 17 points off the bench, while King added six of his 23 points from deep.
Al Ittihad led 52-42 at halftime.
Both teams entered the game with top offensive and defensive ratings, but it didn’t take long for the game to become one-sided.
Omar Soliman’s men benefited greatly from their bench, which outscored the Hoopers’ second unit 40-13. Majok Deng contributed 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds off the bench.
Madut Akec led the Hoopers with 18 points, but Al Ittihad’s 41-29 rebounding advantage proved too much to overcome.
“We started slow defensively, that’s why we couldn’t catch up with them,” David Ike admitted.
Ike, who finished with six points, added: “This loss doesn’t affect us in any way. We just need to win two more games to qualify for the finals in South Africa.”
Rivers Hoopers face Stade Malien on Thursday, while Al Ittihad return to action the same day when they take on the hosts, FUS Rabat.
