Saturday

JKT Vs Patriots  

Friday

Patriots 125-50 Hawassa 

Ally Ruzigande and Kenneth Gasana scored a joint game-high 23 points as Patriots dominated Ethiopian side Hawassa with an emphatic 125-50 victory at the National Indoor Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Friday.

This was the club’s second win in as many games at the ongoing Group D Qualifiers for the highly anticipated Basketball Africa League (BAL) next year.

From the off, Patriots were the better side and never slowed down after setting the pace with a 29-16 first quarter as they went on to take the remaining three quarters in dominant style; 32-9, 33-15 and 30-10, respectively.

Ruzigande, who only joined Patriots from local archrivals APR last season, also made seven rebounds, while Kenya international Michael Makiadi contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Patriots’ Tanzania-born coach Henry Mwinuka said, "With two wins, we have done half the work we are supposed to do.”

"I am very contented with the way the boys played today. We talked about playing good defense before the game and they all pulled together and delivered.”

After Friday’s win, Patriots will have no time to relax as they take on home side JKT on Saturday before facing Ugandan powerhouse City Oilers on Sunday, in what is billed as the game of the competition.

Patriots started their campaign with a 73-64 win over Burundi’s Dynamo on Thursday.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com