Patriots 83-60 Rivers Hoopers

Patriots Basketball Club beat Nigerian side Rivers Hoopers 83-60 in the opening game of the inaugural Basketball Africa League on Sunday, May 16.

The local side started on a low note, trailing the Nigerians 17-18 by the end of the first quarter.

However, the team reacted well in the second quarter, putting up a great display that gave them a 30-18 points lead.

The Patriots continued showing intent of winning the game, as they won the third quarter, and extended their lead to 50-36 points.

By the time the full-time whistle was blown, the home side had claimed a convincing 83-60 points victory over the Nigerians.

Notable impact for Patriots came from new signings Prince Ibeh and Brandon Costner.

Costner scored 20 points, while Dieudonne Nzizeye added 13, and Prince Ibeh made 11.

Speaking to the media after the game, Patriots head coach Allan Major lauded the unselfish play by his team.

"I thought we were really unselfish, that was probably the most enjoyable thing to watch as the guys really looked for each other. I know at halftime we had 10 assists on 14 baskets," he said.

Upcoming games:

On Monday, GS Petroliers (from Algeria) will take on Senegal's AS Douanes at 2pm, while Ferroviário de Maputo (from Mozambique) will face Egyptian giants Zamalek at 5:30pm.

Monday Fixtures

Group A GNBC v US Monastir 9pm

Group B GSP v AS Douanes 2pm

Group C Maputo v Zamalek 5:30 pm