Rivers Hoopers, who are Nigeria’s sole representative in the fifth season of the Basketball Africa League, currently ongoing at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, crashed out of the competition following an underwhelming 104-73 defeat to Rwandan franchise APR in their quarter-final match-up on Monday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The KingsMen, who were ranked as the fourth-best team heading into the competition, had lost their opening seeding fixture 89-81 against the third-seeded US Monastir of Tunisia last weekend, and needed to come up with a win against APR to make the semi-finals. However, the Port Harcourt-based outfits were outclassed from start to finish and did not win a single quarter, as they recorded consecutive defeats in South Africa.
APR won the first quarter 24-11, having attempted 16 field goals and converting 50 per cent of them, unlike the Hoopers who attempted 17 field goals but only managed to convert 17.6 per cent of them and made a whopping five turnovers compared to just one made by the Rwandans. The second quarter saw APR once again edge it by a score of 33-21, having attempted 15 field goals and converting 93.3 per cent of them. The Hoopers improved slightly in the number of field goals attempted with 21, but were atrocious in terms of their conversion rate, as they managed only 38.1 per cent.
Upon resumption of the tie after the half-time interval, the game further slipped from coach Ogah Odaudu’s side in the third quarter, having ceded it 26-20 to APR. Both teams attempted 18 field goals but as has been the case all afternoon, the Rwandan powerhouse converted 61.1 per cent of the field goals in contrast to the 44.4 made by the Hoopers. The turnover rate saw the Nigerian champions lead the stat 6-5. The fourth quarter ended all square 21-21 in terms of points scored by both sides, but the Rwandans converted 46.7 per cent of their field goals from 15 attempts made, while the Hoopers put up 26.3 per cent from 19 attempts made.
The victory sees APR progress into the BAL semi-finals, as they look to claim the continental crown.
