City Oilers’ bid for redemption in the East Division Elite 16 fell agonizingly short as they lost a nail-biting third-place playoff to Burundi’s Urunani, 77-75.
Despite leading for significant stretches of the game, the Ugandan champions were undone by a final-second three-pointer from Marcus Christopher Crawford, marking a heartbreaking end to their Road to BAL 2025 campaign.
The Oilers started strong, holding a narrow 13-11 advantage early on, but Urunani surged back to dominate the first quarter, closing it at 26-18.
The second period belonged to the Oilers, with Parrish Petty spearheading a remarkable 19-0 run that left the Burundians reeling.
The Oilers’ defense held Urunani scoreless for five minutes, and the Ugandans entered halftime with a commanding 43-34 lead.
However, Urunani regrouped after the break, mounting a determined comeback in the third quarter.
They clawed their way back to tie the game at 50 and eventually took a slim 58-56 lead heading into the final period.
A back-and-forth fourth quarter kept fans on edge, with both teams exchanging leads. Crawford’s clutch three-pointer in the dying moments sealed the win for Urunani.
Crawford led Urunani with 20 points, including the game-winning trey, while Mohamed Doumbya delivered a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds.
The Oilers’ Falando Cortez Jones and Parrish Petty kept their side competitive, but the absence of injured key players Titus Odeke and Germaine Roebuck Jr. took its toll on the Ugandan champions.
City Oilers were plagued by 17 turnovers, which allowed Urunani to score 21 points off those mistakes.
The Burundians dominated in the paint, outscoring the Oilers 40-28, and their bench contributed 31 points compared to the Oilers’ seven.
