Sunday Patriots 74-63 City Oilers

Rwandan champions Patriots marched into the second and final round of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Qualifiers with an unbeaten record after outshining Ugandan giants City Oilers in their final Group D game on Sunday.

The Patriots beat Oilers 74-63 to end their campaign in style, having previously won their first three games against Dynamo (Burundi), Hawassa (Ethiopia) and Tanzania’s JKT from Thursday to Saturday, respectively.

However, despite losing their final game, City Oilers also advanced to the second round as first runners-up of the group with a 3:1 win ratio.

In Sunday’s win, Michael Makiadi and youngster Guibert Nijimbere inspired Patriots with a joint team-high 14 points, while American-born Rwanda international Kenneth Gasana added 13 points to the win.

Small forward Dieudonne Ndizeye contributed 11 points and 5 rebounds.

The second round of BAL qualifiers starts next month.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com