Basketball: Al Ahly without quartet in BAL third-place defeat

Al Ahly were without Ehab Amin, Amr Zahran, Zak Lofton and Nuni Omot in their 106-98 defeat by Libya's Al Ahly Benghazi in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) third-place playoff in Kigali on Sunday.

Team doctor Salah Ragab said Amin suffered a hamstring tear in Al Ahly's previous game and could not be recovered in time for Sunday's match.

"The short period between the two matches prevented the medical team from preparing him adequately for participation, especially since playing him could have worsened the injury and prolonged his recovery period," Ragab said.

Ragab added that Zahran is suffering from a lumbar disc herniation at two levels and was unable to play despite undergoing intensive treatment and rehabilitation in recent days.

American guard Lofton trained normally ahead of the game and had been expected to feature, but developed severe food poisoning, gastroenteritis and a high fever in the hours before tip-off, Ragab said.

Omot also missed the game after suffering from food poisoning for the past three days, according to Ragab, who said the South Sudan international had not recovered sufficiently to play.

Ragab said all four players remain under medical supervision and are following rehabilitation programmes as they work toward a return to action.