PRETORIA, South Africa -- Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers fell one step short of repeating last season's heroic run to the Basketball Africa League semi-finals as they lost their quarter-final 104-73 on Monday to Rwanda's Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR).
APR will face Al Ahli Tripoli in the semi-finals on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to Saturday's final and the loser heading to Friday's third-place playoff.
It was already apparent in the first quarter that this was unlikely to be Rivers Hoopers' evening. Having started well in their 3rd-4th seeding game against US Monastir and then collapsed in the second half to lose, the KingsMen looked more similar to the team that had played the closing stages of that game than the one that had started it.
Despite some bright moments from Madut Akec, shots were generally not falling for the KingsMen in the first quarter and they trailed 24-11 by the end of it.
Raphiael Putney attempted to inspire a second quarter fightback with three threes in quick succession. However, APR adapted to the moment as a team and marked him tightly to avoid further damage.
Meanwhile, as APR boxed out at one end, their center Youssou Ndoye did his share of damage at the other - as did Aliou Diarra and Nuni Omot, who appeared to be finding his feet in the team after a relatively quiet start by his high standards in the victory over Petro de Luanda which saw the Rwandan side clinch the fifth seed.
The shots were flying in from all angles, with guards Chasson Randle and Obadiah Noel also contributing. With the last shot of the half, Omot fired in a two-point jumpshot to send APR into the break 57-32 up.
Ogoh Odaudu, the 2024 BAL Coach of the Year, has inspired Rivers Hoopers to punch above their weight on many occasions, but even he was unable to reverse the course of the game with a half-time team talk as APR had the better of the third quarter too to lead 83-52 heading into the last.
The final quarter was played at a relatively slow pace, with the KingsMen unable to change their fate, which had long since effectively been sealed.
Diarra (20 points & 10 rebounds) and Randle (15 points, 10 assists & 3 steals) each picked up double-doubles, while Omot led the scoring for APR with 21. Despite fellow South Sudanese player Akec matching him with 21 points for Rivers Hoopers and also grabbing an incredible six steals, APR's win seldom looked in doubt.
This is only the second time a Rwandan team has made the BAL semi-finals, with the first coming in the inaugural 2021 campaign as Patriots finished fourth.
Commenting on the difference between APR this season and other Rwandan teams who have played in the BAL, Axel Mpoyo - who previously played for Rwanda Energy Group (REG) - said: "I think the chemistry - just our chemistry and how we play unselfishly."
With three of the four quarter-finals now finished, the last one will see Petro de Luanda take on US Monastir with the winner taking on Egypt's Al Ittihad in the semis.