Published: October 23, 2026
Paynesville — Liberia Basketball League champions NPA Pythons suffered their second consecutive defeat in the Road to the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers, falling 88-66 to Ghana’s Spintex Knights on Thursday in Tripoli, Libya.
The Pythons struggled early, falling behind 18-12 in the first quarter before battling back to a 19-19 tie in the second. However, they lost momentum in the third quarter, falling 22-13, and were outscored 29-22 in the fourth.
The defeat followed a 92-69 loss to Benin’s Energies BBC in their Group B opener Wednesday, leaving the Liberian champions under pressure ahead of their final group-stage game.
In Wednesday’s opener, the Pythons briefly held an eight-point lead but struggled to sustain their momentum as Energie took control. Liberia’s representatives committed 22 turnovers, had seven blocked shots, and allowed their opponents to shoot 46% from the field. Energie also recorded 31 assists.
NPA Pythons coach Raphael Quaye attributed the opening loss to his team’s lack of fitness, saying it affected both their defensive performance and offensive execution.
“I don’t think we showed the level of fitness that we expected. That impacted the kind of defense that we played and also the way we carried on the offense,” Quaye said.
He added that the coaching staff would assess the team’s performance and identify areas for improvement.
The Pythons will return to action Friday against Guinea’s Nabaya Sofas, seeking their first victory in the qualifying campaign.
Spintex Knights lead the group with four points from two wins, while Nabaya Sofas and Energie BBC are tied on three points, with each recording one victory.
The top two teams will advance to the Elite 16 stage, keeping their hopes of qualifying for the BAL alive.
The Road to BAL is the qualifying competition for the Basketball Africa League, which is organized in partnership with the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA Africa).
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