Friday

REG 103-51 Orion

Patriots 85-98 Kigali Titans

Shooting guard Thierry Munyeshuri stole the show on Friday night as his 42 points inspired topflight newcomers Kigali Titans to a stunning 98-85 victory over local powerhouse Patriots at Kepler University court to begin their basketball season on a thrilling note.

The former Espoir BBC player was a major nuisance to the Patriots who thought they would easily go past the Titans to open a new chapter under returning coach Henry Mwinuka with a victory.

The Patriots won the first quarter 22-20, but Cyrille Kalima’s Titans refused to back down as they bounced back to claim the second quarter 28-26.

When the teams came back for the second half, the Patriots dominated the third quarter, leveraging on a combination of team captain Aristide Mugabe, Steven Hagumintwari and Brono Nyamwasa to overwhelm the Titans 26-16.

But the Titans showcased resilience as they scored a whopping 34 points against Patriots 11 to take home the victory on their topflight league debut.

Munyeshuri, 26, scored a game-high 42 points and made 8 rebounds and 2 assists, while American point guard William Kiah Perry added 21 points and 11 assists.

Meanwhile, defending champions Rwanda Energy Group (REG) were also off to a winning start as they beat newcomers Orion BBC 103-51.

The league action continues Saturday when APR host IPRC-Musanze at 1pm, while Tigers play IPRC-Huye. Both fixtures take place at Kepler University court.