For a second consecutive game, Peter Olisemeka put up a huge performance, finishing with a double-double 17 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks to go with it.
DOUBLE DIGITS Devine Eke also had an immense contribution, adding 18 points and 18 rebounds with four assists and two steals in 43 minutes, while John Wilkins had 14, Kelvin Amayo added 13, and Will Perry's 11, as all starters for Rivers Hoopers finished with double digits.
Hoopers and APR both entered the game seeking to bounce back after suffering defeats against AS Douanes and US Monastir, respectively, in their previous games.
For APR, they needed to win to boost their chances of reaching the playoff round in their inaugural BAL season, while Rivers Hoopers knew that a win would guarantee them a spot at the BAL high table in Kigali, Rwanda.
BEST TEAM RECORD The victory over APR helped the KingsMen qualify with four wins, while their Rwandan counterparts dropped to 2-3 mark ahead of the last day of the Sahara Conference on Sunday.
On Sunday, the Nigerian champions Rivers Hoopers concluded their outing at the Sahara Conference of the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) with a 4-2 record following a 73-62 loss against former BAL champions, Tunisia's US Monastir, at the Dakar Arena.
Hoopers fielded a much changed starting five from their previous games, as Coach Ogoh Odaudu handed Abel Offia and Johnson Anaiye their first starts in Dakar, alongside BAL Elevate player David Ike, Devine Eke, and John Wilkins.
HISTORIC COMEBACK US Monastir had lost their opening three games at the 2024 BAL Sahara Conference, including a 21-point blowout (84-63) by Rivers Hoopers on Game Day three, but came into the Game Day six encounter full of confidence after securing back-to-back wins against Rwanda's APR (83-70) and AS Douanes of Senegal (75-69).
With their victory against Rivers Hoopers, the Tunisian champions US Monastir achieved a historic comeback in the league’s history to qualify for the playoffs with a 3-3 record - having overcome a 0-3 deficit. The 2022 BAL winners beat every team they lost to in the first round.
Despite the loss, Hoopers finished as the best team in the Sahara Conference, having won 4 out of 6 games, to become the first ever Nigerian team to reach the BAL Playoffs.
Devine Eke finished with a team-high 13 points, while Kelvin Amayo was the only other player to hit double figures for the KingsMen with 10 points.
MASSIVE HOME SUPPORT 2024 Sahara Conference hosts AS Douanes enjoyed a brilliant 79-54 win over Rwanda’s APR on Sunday to clinch the last ticket for the 2024 BAL Playoffs. With a large number of home fans cheering for them, the 2023 BAL runners-up pulled off a dominant performance despite trailing by four (11-7) early in the opening quarter.
