The Egyptian champions were out of the blocks early, relying on South Sudan international Nuni Omot for the early offence.
Al Ahly started life in the Basketball Africa League with a commanding 92-74 victory over Mozambique's Ferroviario da Beira on Wednesday night in Cairo, Egypt.
The hosts of the Nile Conference, making their debut in the BAL, were comfortable from tip-off to the final buzzer to get off the mark.
Points difference might come in handy in the end, and an 18-point victory must have pleased head coach Agustin Julbe Bosch.
The Egyptian champions were out of the blocks early, relying on South Sudan international Nuni Omot for the early offence.
They led by 15 points (32-15) at the end of the first quarter.
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The first two fixtures for the Ugandans are against two of the top-ranked sides in the Nile Conference, Petro and hosts Al Ahly.
The second frame ended 21-19, and Ahly had a comfortable 19-point lead halfway through the game.
Ferroviario made it a contest in the second half, taking the third frame 24-23 before a tied fourth quarter (16-16) confirmed Ahly's first-ever victory in the competition.
Omot registered a game-high 21 points in 25 minutes on his Ahly debut, while Omar Oraby added 15 points of his own.
Michael Thompson and Corey Webster contributed 11 points each as the Egyptian side set the pace in the Nile Conference.
Will Perry and Bourama scored 18 and 17, respectively, for Ferroviario, but that was insufficient against a well-oiled machine of a team.
At the end of the action in Cairo, the top four sides will progress to the BAL playoffs slated for May 21-28 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), City Oilers (Uganda), Petro de Luanda (Angola), and Guinea's Seydou Legacy Athletique Club (SLAC) are the other teams in the conference.
The top four teams after the 15-game schedule will join Stade Malien, REG, AS Douanes and Abidjan Basket Club from the Sahara Conference at the BK for the playoffs.
Basketball Africa League
Nile Conference
Result
Al Ahly 92-74 Ferroviario
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