Recap of Day 1 in Cairo

Group A

C Africain - Kano Pillars 87-47
Club Africain coasted past Kano Pillars in the opener. Kyle Vinales (185-G-92, college: Cent.Conn.St.) delivered 18 points and 6 assists in the victory. Club African rallied to a 42:23 halftime lead. They followed with a 45:24 run in the second half to ice the win. Ziyed Chennoufi (201-F-88) finished with 14 points in the victory. Abubakar Usman (192-G-86) responded with 16 points for Kano Pillars.

Al Ahly - Nzui Manto 82-53
Al Ahly got to the winning start of the African Champions Cup. They cruised past Nzui Manto in the opener. Wayne Arnold (193-F/G-84, college: Tennessee St.) posted 14 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds to lead the Egyptian side. Al Ahly secured a 36:28 halftime lead. The hosts went on a 29:13 run in the fourth quarter to seal a comfortable win. Ahmed Sayed (202-F/C-95) added 11 points for the winners. Felix Bogmis (192-G-92) responded with 15 points for Nzui Manto.

Group B

Libolo - ASS Sale 83-84
ASS Sale nipped Libolo to secure the opening victory at the tournament. Brandon Freeman (191-G-83, college: UALR, agency: Promotex) delivered 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Moroccan team. Libolo used a 33:19 run in the second term to open a 45:42 halftime lead. ASS Sale erased the deficit in the third term. The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 62. However ASS Sale dropped 22 points in the final period and snatched a narrow win. Soufiane Soufiane (211-C-85) tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. Olimpio Cipriano replied with 24 points for Libolo.

City Oilers - GS Petroliers 69-77
GS Petroliers outgunned City Oilers for the first victory in Group B. Abdellah Hamdini (200-F-92) came up with 27 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Algerian team. GS Petroliers went on a 24:5 run in the second term to open a 19-point halftime lead. City Oilers responded with a 27:11 run in the third quarter to narrow the gap at 3-point mark. But GS Petroliers sank 24 points in the fourth quarter to claim the victory. Touhami Ghezzoul (209-C-87, college: N.Dakota St. JC) accounted for 14 points in the win. Stanley Ocitti (203-F/C-80, college: Binghamton) responded with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists for City Oilers.