Cape Town Tigers issue apology after BAL defeat to FUS Rabat

Tigers continued to struggle in Season 4 as they lost 84-58 to Kalahari Conference log leaders FUS De Rabat from Morocco at the SunBet Arena in Tshwane on Tuesday.

It proved a one-sided game as, by the end of the third quarter, the Moroccans opened the gap to a 30-point lead (71-44), which ultimately prompted Ngwenya to excuse their sloppy performance.

"First of all, I'd just like to apologise to the fans, and to South Africa in general as well, people who have taken their time and money to come and watch us play," said Ngwenya.

"I think we didn't do justice to all those people, especially in the second half, but I don't think it's as much about giving up as it's the fact that Rabat went into third, fourth, fifth and sixth gear, and we were still stuck on gear-two.

"But part of it is just things that are beyond our control, and part of it is just effort. At the end of the day, it's five versus five, and once you're on the court, you've got to give the effort."

With only the top two teams in each of the three conferences guaranteed a spot in the BAL Season 4 play-offs in Kigali scheduled from 24 May - 1 June, Tigers' hopes now rest on being one of the two best third-placed teams from across the three conferences. 

The Cape-based side's shooting guard Cartier Diarra highlights what needs to be done to turn things around in their remaining two matches, after Dynamo Basketball Club of Burundi were axed from the competition earlier on Tuesday.

"Again, like the coach said, we apologise to everyone that came out here and spent their money to see [Tigers] win. I feel like we had every game so far in our hands, and it's come down to defence," he added.

"That's what we need to do because, if we're not scoring and they're not scoring, it's an even match up. So I think that's the issue right now, it's just playing better defence.

"We've just got to hone in on the defence, keep stressing that, and that's really it. It's about effort and heart."

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