Kabengele and Shengelia lead Dubai Basketball toward home win vs. Zadar
Mfiondu Kabengele (21 pts, 11 reb) and Tornike Shengelia (20 pts, 7 reb) dominated 4th quarter to push Dubai Basketball toward victory against Zadar.
(Photo: Dubai Basketball)
2026/27 AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season, Group B, Round 6, Monday, 2 November 2026
DUBAI BASKETBALL – Zadar 89:75 (16:21, 19:17, 23:20, 31:17)
Game Recap: Dubai Basketball continued their impressive start to the 2026/27 AdmiralBet ABA League season with another home victory, overcoming Zadar in Round 6 to preserve their unbeaten record.
The reigning champions were led by Mfiondu Kabengele and Tornike Shengelia, who combined for 41 points. Kabengele finished with a team-high 21 points, while Shengelia added 20, providing the hosts with the offensive firepower needed to secure another important result.
The victory marked Dubai's fifth consecutive win in the competition, further strengthening their position among the leading teams in Group B.
Key Moments: Zadar made a confident start and took control of the opening quarter, establishing a 21:16 lead after ten minutes. The visitors continued to challenge the defending champions in the second period, maintaining their advantage and heading into halftime ahead 38:35.
The third quarter brought a much more balanced contest, with Dubai gradually finding their offensive rhythm. The hosts scored 23 points, but Zadar matched them with 20, leaving the teams tied at 58:58 entering the final ten minutes.
That was when Dubai took over. Xavi Pascual's team produced an excellent fourth-quarter performance, outscoring Zadar 31:17 to turn a closely contested encounter into a convincing 89:75 victory.
Man of the Match: Mfiondu Kabengele was the standout performer for Dubai Basketball, finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds and an impressive index rating of 33. The powerful center was unstoppable in the 4th quarter in which, together with Shengelia, he led his team toward victory.
Can't Trick the Stats: Dubai Basketball's excellent two-point shooting made a major difference, as the hosts converted an outstanding 77.4% of their attempts from inside the arc (24/31), compared to Zadar's 52.6% (20/38).
The home team also dominated the battle in the paint, outscoring their opponents 48:36, while recording 21 assists compared to Zadar's 14. Dubai additionally won the rebounding battle 33:28 and finished with a significantly higher team index rating, 107:66.
Stats
Players on court
| DUB | Min | PtsP | RebsR | AssA | StS | FoulF | ValV | |
| 4 | Blossomgame J. | 15:07 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | Mintz D. | 24:18 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| 13 | Musa D. | 23:03 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 17 | Tshimanga Kabengele M. | 24:29 | 21 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33 |
| 25 | Wright IV M. | 26:27 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -1 |
| ZAD | Min | PtsP | RebsR | AssA | StS | FoulF | ValV | |
| 5 | Mirčeta A. | 02:41 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Klarica K. | 26:28 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 8 | Buljević L. | 15:18 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 27 | Vučić I. | 16:02 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 55 | Bičić L. | 04:17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 5 actions
| Min | Score | Action |
| game finished | ||
| end of 4. quarter | ||
| 00:19 (Q4) | 13 MUSA D. steal | |
| 00:19 (Q4) | 55 BIČIĆ L. turnover (bad pass) | |
| 00:34 (Q4) | 6 MINTZ D. assist | |
| 00:34 (Q4) | 89 : 75 | 4 BLOSSOMGAME J. made 3 points (jump shot) |
Top players
| VALUE (INDEX) | ||||
| Tshimanga Kabengele M. | 33 | - | 16 | Šare N. |
| POINTS | ||||
| Tshimanga Kabengele M. | 21 | - | 16 | Šare N. |
| REBOUNDS | ||||
| Tshimanga Kabengele M. | 11 | - | 7 | Ogden Jr M. |
| ASSISTS | ||||
| Mintz D. | 8 | - | 4 | Klarica K. |
