APR becomes second Rwandan team to advance to the BAL Semifinals

For the second time in the history of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), a Rwandan team has reached the semifinals.

Patriots Basketball Club was the first Rwandan team to reach the Last Four in the inaugural BAL season in 2021.

On Monday, APR outscored Rivers Hoopers 104–73 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, booking a

matchup against Al Ahli Tripoli on Wednesday.

The Rwandan champions displayed complete dominance from start to finish and never trailed.

It was the largest winning margin in the 2025 playoffs.

APR became the second team to cross the 100-point mark after Al Ahli Tripoli outscored Kriol Star 107- 81.

APR’s defense forced the Hoopers to exhaust the shot clock four times early on.

APR played aggressively on defense and efficiently on offense, taking a 25-point lead (57-32) at halftime.

With their three-point shots repeatedly missing the target, the Nigerian champions were forced to attack near the basket. However, APR's crowded paint area proved impenetrable, deflecting all of the Hoopers' scoring attempts.

Nuni Omot led the Rwandan champions in scoring with 21 points. Aliou Diarra recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Chasson Randle contributed 15 points.

The second half was all about building on their defensive effort from the first half.

At one point, when APR were leading by 30 (74-44), disappointment was evident on the Rivers Hoopers’ bench.

The Rivers Hoopers shot 7-for-30, while APR made 11 of their 22 three-pointers.

Madut Akec led the Hoopers in scoring with 21 points, and Raphael Putney scored his 12 points from behind the arc.

Jean-Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumkiza, one of the few players to have played in five BAL seasons, later praised his team’s effort.

He explained how APR evolved from a team that raised questions to a title contender.

"Back home, we didn't play at the level we wanted because it was our first time playing together at a major event," said Nshobozwabyosenumkiza, referring to APR’s 3–3 record in the Nile Conference last month.

Nshobozwabyosenumkiza continued: "Our new players and coaches have contributed a lot to the team, and that's why we're performing at our current level."

“Our style of play is starting to come together, and everyone is on the same page with the same goal.”

“Looking at the two games left, I feel we have a good chance of winning this championship.”

Power forward Peter Olisemeka, of Rivers Hoopers, agreed that APR’s defense played a huge role in the outcome of the game.

“They kept us far from the paint. We couldn’t get the ball inside,” said Olisemeka, who finished with six points and seven rebounds.

“Kudos to them for playing such good defense with so much energy. We tried, but we missed many opportunities,” he concluded.