Six-time Nigerian Basketball League champions, Rivers Hoopers were blown out of the 2025 BAL playoffs in what head coach Ogoh Odaudu called “a really bad day”; and the final score proves it.
The KingsMen were smashed 104-73 by Rwanda’s Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) in their quarter-final clash on Monday.
This is their heaviest-ever defeat in BAL history as they crash out of the tournament one step short of last season’s semi-final run.
From the opening buzzer at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, the Hoopers were completely out of sync. APR’s relentless pressure and paint dominance exposed the Nigerians’ every weakness.
First-Quarter Disaster: APR Sets the Tone
After a cagey first minute with no scores from either side, APR exploded with a 14-4 run midway through the first quarter.
The Rwandan champions closed it out 24-11, and from that point, there was no looking back.
By halftime, APR had raced to a 57-32 lead, with their three-headed scoring machine — Aliou Diarra (13 pts), Chasson Randle (13 pts), and Nuni Omot (12 pts) — running riot on both ends of the floor.
“Too many things went wrong,” admitted a frustrated Ogoh Odaudu in the postgame press conference.
“We didn’t defend the way we should have. The killer for us at the start was the 52 points made in the paint. We had no answers.”
Desperate Changes and Foul Trouble Sink Hoopers
After the break, Odaudu rang in the changes, bringing back Kelvin Amayo, Raphael Putney, Peter Olisemeka, and Ahmed Doumbia in hopes of salvaging the game.
The KingsMen briefly showed signs of life, cutting the deficit by seven in just four minutes.
But APR responded mercilessly, restoring their massive lead with a dominant 3-minute burst that left Hoopers staring at a 31-point mountain heading into the final quarter.
Things only worsened when Raphael Putney, who had just started heating up with 12 points, was ejected early in the fourth after committing his fifth personal foul.
That proved to be the final nail in the coffin.
Madut Akec Shines in Defeat
South Sudanese-Australian forward Madut Akec put up a gritty 21 points, including seven in the final quarter, as the Hoopers rallied to draw the fourth quarter 21-21. But by then, the game was long gone.
“We didn’t play as well as we thought we could. It happens in basketball,” Odaudu shrugged.
“We may be disappointed, but we are holding our heads high.”
Maxi Shamba added 10 points, while Chingka Garba, off the bench, impressed with seven points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
The the overall team stats painted a grim picture:
APR dominated the paint: 52-32
APR bench points: 32
Hoopers bench points: 18
Odaudu: “We’ll Be Back”
Following the collapse, Coach Odaudu vowed Rivers Hoopers would return to the BAL stronger — but pointed fingers at Nigeria’s lack of domestic basketball structure as a major obstacle.
“We played against APR, who are still in the thick of their league. We haven’t played competitively since Morocco,” he noted.
“That’s one major problem. We arrive at the BAL not match-fit. We hope the Nigeria Basketball Federation is going to change the domestic league format.”
He also reflected on the team’s journey so far:
“Nobody gave us a chance in Morocco. But we stood our ground and came out second. Rivers State has supported us, and trust me, it’s miles ahead of what most teams get.”
“We are still Rivers Hoopers,” Odaudu said defiantly. “We will still go back [to BAL], and we will be back.”
