APR blows rivers to reserve the historical place of Bal semifinal

The APR Basketball Club offered a dominant performance on Monday night, defeating the Nigeria 104–73 Rivers to advance to the semifinals of the 2025 Africa Basketball League (BL) in the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria.

The victory marks a historic milestone since APR becomes the second Rwanda team to reach the BAL semifinals, following the steps of the Patriots basketball club, which achieved the feat during the opening season of the League in 2021.

Read also: Flamingos coach, Bankole Olowookere, reveals: Why do I want to win the U17 World Cup U17

From the tip to the final bell, he approved both ends of the court, without following the contest and ensuring the largest winning margin of the 2025 playoffs. The Rwanda champions now face the Ahli Tripoli of Libya in the semifinal on Wednesday.

Defensive master class

The power striker Peter Olisemeka of Rivers Houpers accredited the relentless defense of APR for the result.

“They kept us away from painting. We couldn’t put the ball inside,” said Olisemeka, who recorded six points and seven rebounds. “Congratulations to them for playing such a good defense with such energy. We tried, but we lost many opportunities.”

The APR defense forced the Hoopers to exhaust the shooting clock in multiple possessions at the beginning of the game and limited its painting score with a physical and congested interior.

In the part -time, APR had already built a 25 -point cushion, leading 57–32. Its defensive intensity did not decrease in the second half, and its advantage grew to 30 points (74–44), leaving a visible frustration in the hoters bank.

Balanced score, acute shooting

Nuni Omot led APR with 21 points, while Aliou Diarra achieved its double double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The former NBA Guard Chasson Randle added 15 points.

APR fired 50% beyond the arch, turning 11 of 22 attempts from three points. In contrast, the rivers that fought, hitting only 7 of 30 attempts from the depths.

Madut Akec led the Hoopers with 21 points, and Raphael Putney added 12 points, all from a three -point range.

Of uncertainty to containment

The Co-Capitán of APR, Jean-Jacques Wilson NSHobozwabyosenumkiza, one of the few players to compete in the five BAL seasons, praised the rapid development of the team.

“At home, we did not play at the level we wanted because it was the first time we played together in an important event,” he said, referring to the 3–3 record of APR at the Nile Conference last month. “Our new players and coaches have contributed a lot to the team, and that is why we are acting at our current level.”

AP now directs your attention to a semifinal confrontation with Ahli Tripoli while continuing their search for a single Bal title.

Publication views: 2