Rivers Hoopers lost their opening game at the 2024 BAL Playoffs on Saturday 63-57 to AS Douanes at the BK Arena in Rwanda. A 22-9 first-quarter blowout created a gap too big for the Rivers team to recover from.
Coach Ogor Odaudu started the five: Peter Olisemeka, Kelvin Amayo, Devine Eke, Will Perry, and John Wilkins. Olisemeka won the tip-off and Amayo made the first basket of the game.
The Nigerian team did not make another basket until about three minutes to the end of the first quarter, at which point the Senegalese team had built a 12-point lead.
A three-pointer from Perry cut the deficit to nine and Abel Chidiebere Offia made it a seven-point game. Eke then narrowed it down to five, but Adama Diakhite led a resurgence that saw Douanes end the quarter 22–9. It was a lead the Nigerians could not make up.
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The second quarter ended in a one-point loss, 14-15, and then AS Douanes built up another head of steam, storming to a 13-5 win in the third quarter. Thus, Hoopers were 22 points behind when the fourth quarter tipped off.
Despite a 29-13 fourth-quarter win, Hoopers eventually lost 63-57.
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