Rivers Hoopers have crashed out of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs after suffering a resounding 104-73 quarterfinal loss to Rwandan side APR at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Nigerian side came into the clash aiming to register their first win in Pretoria, following an 89-81 defeat to Tunisia’s US Monastir in their quarterfinal seeding match. However, they were up against a fired-up APR team that had stunned defending champions Petro de Luanda 75-57 in their own seeding encounter.
APR capitalised on their momentum from that upset, dominating the opening quarter to take a 13-point lead, spearheaded by the energetic performance of Aliou Diarra.
Raphael Putney sparked a brief fightback for Rivers Hoopers in the second quarter, sinking three consecutive three-pointers. But despite their efforts, APR’s fast-paced transitions and sharp shooting proved overwhelming as the Rwandan side closed out the first half in dominant fashion, extending their lead to 25 points at the break.
More Read
The third quarter saw APR continue their offensive onslaught, outscoring the Hoopers 26-20 to stretch their advantage to 31 points. Although the Nigerian side managed to trim the deficit to 22 points, APR’s efficiency at both ends ensured they reasserted their lead in the final quarter.
Despite some resistance from the Kingsmen in the closing minutes, APR maintained their grip on the game, closing out the fourth quarter with the same 31-point margin to seal a resounding win and secure a place in the semifinals.
The loss marks a disappointing end to the campaign for Rivers Hoopers, who had aimed to at least match their semifinal appearance from the previous edition of the tournament.
For APR, the victory is a significant milestone as they advance to the BAL semifinals for the first time in their history. The Rwandan champions will now face Libyan side Al Ahli SC in a high-stakes semifinal matchup scheduled for Wednesday, June 11.
© Bold Media Innovations & Creative Hub Limited. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
