Madagascar champions GNBC secured their second victory at the Road to BAL East Division Group D qualifiers with an emphatic 98-72 win over Seychelles’ Beau Vallon Heat.
The island derby saw GNBC overturn a slow start to dominate in the second half, handing Beau Vallon their third consecutive loss in the tournament.
Elly Randriamampionona was the standout player for GNBC, delivering a game-high 33 points. After trailing 22-14 in the first quarter, GNBC clawed their way back in the second with a 20-11 run that cut the deficit to just one point, 34-33, at halftime.
The third quarter was where the tide truly turned in GNBC’s favor. They exploded with 14 points in the opening five minutes, seizing the lead at 48-45 and never relinquishing control.
With dominant third and fourth quarters, GNBC outscored Beau Vallon 33-23 and 31-16, securing a comfortable 26-point victory.
In a game marked by 10 lead changes, the turning point came in the final five minutes of the second quarter when GNBC went on a 10-point run while holding their opponents to just six. That momentum carried them through the rest of the contest.
Randriamampionona was clinical inside the arc, missing only one of his 13 attempts and sinking three three-pointers for his 33 points. He was supported by Francis Ramanampamonjy Mory, who contributed 16 points in the victory.
Key statistics backed up GNBC’s dominance, as they outscored Beau Vallon 51-8 on bench points and 23-4 on points off turnovers. They also dished out 30 assists, double what their opponents managed, showing the importance of ball sharing in their win.
Damien Chang-Time led the scoring for Beau Vallon with 20 points, falling just short of a double-double. Reflecting on the loss, Chang-Time said, “We had it in the first half with a good start, but a lack of individual effort and defensive mistakes in the second half cost us the game. While qualification is out of reach, we still aim to learn valuable lessons from the remaining matches.”
GNBC guard Randriamampionona, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance: “It was a slow start, but we picked up well and sealed the win with better execution in the second half. We are prepared for the remaining matches and are determined to book our spot in the Elite 16.”
With this win, GNBC improved to 2-0, putting them in a strong position for qualification with two crucial games against Nairobi City Thunder and Urunani still to come. For Beau Vallon, the road ahead looks tough, with their hopes for qualification fading.
Source: FIBA Basketball
