WRITER\Kareem Elrefaay

MONASTIR (FIBA Africa Champions Cup 2017) – Union Sportive Monastir (USM) on Saturday opened their FIBA Africa Champions (ACC) Zone 1 Qualifier at home destroying Libyan side Al Nasr Benghazi 91-47.

There wasn’t a better way for USM to express their continental ambitions as they look to becoming the second Tunisian team – along with Etoile Sportive de Rades – at the upcoming ACC 2017 to be played in Rades, Tunisia.  

The ACC Zone 1 comprises of teams from the North region of the African continent, and the teams that finish in the first two places of the six-team Qualifier will advance to the Final Phase (December 11-20).

Earlier on Day 1 of the qualifier, Algerian champions Groupement Sportif des Petroliers outscored Libyan Al-Ittihad 85-61 while AS Sale won the Moroccan derby by dispatching MAS 75-68. 

Day 2 of Zone 1 qualifier will see Al-Ittihad taking on MAS, Al Nasr Benghazi will go up against GS Petroliers, and the highly-anticipated game of Sunday’s ACC Zone 1 qualifier, hosts USM play Association Sportive Sale.

Teams qualified include hosts ES Rades, Kano Pillars and Gome Bulls (both from Nigeria), AS Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malabo Kings (TBC) of Equatorial Guinea, City Oilers (Uganda), InterClube de Luanda and Sport Libolo e Benfica (Angola).

Mozambique champions Ferroviario da Beira have been awarded one of two wild cards.