PATRIOTS have progressed to the semi-finals of the ongoing Basketball Africa League (BAL) East Division qualifiers with a game to spare after winning their first two games,

The Rwandan champions – who beat Tanzania's JKT 113-61 on Tuesday – confirmed their slot in the last four following an emphatic 76-53 win over UNZA Pacers of Zambia on Wednesday night at Kigali Arena.

Man of the match Kenneth Gasana scored a game-high 24 points as Patriots maintained their perfect run to join Madagascar champions GNBC in semi-finals.

The two sides face-off on Thursday in a battle for the top spot.

In other games on Wednesday, GNBC saw off Tanzania’s JKT 87-63, whereas Ferroviario from Mozambique edged City Oilers of Uganda in a tightly contested 92-87 win.

With their respective defeats, JKT and UNZA Pacers bowed out of the tournament. The two also go head-to-head in one of the four games scheduled for Thursday.

The inaugural BAL season, which is a joint effort between the NBA and FIBA, tips off in March 2020 with 12 teams.

Should Patriots finish among the top three of the East Division qualifiers, Francis Odhiambo’s men will automatically secure their ticket to the continental showpiece.