Rivers Hoopers’ underwhelming 2025 Basketball Africa League campaign came to a predictable end on Monday, as the Nigerian champions were dismantled 104–73 by Rwanda’s APR in their quarter-final clash at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.
The KingsMen had already shown signs of vulnerability throughout the competition, losing their seeding game 89–81 to Tunisia’s US Monastir, and carried that poor form into Monday’s must-win clash.
Outclassed from start to finish, they failed to win a single quarter and were thoroughly dominated in every phase of the game.
APR raced into a 24–11 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, shooting with remarkable efficiency while exposing Hoopers’ turnovers and poor conversion rate.
Things worsened in the second quarter as the Rwandan side converted over 90 percent of their field goals, while the Hoopers remained wasteful.
Even after the break, Rivers had no answer to APR’s intensity.
They lost the third quarter 26–20, and while the final quarter ended level on points, it was of little consolation for a team that had long been out of the contest.
With the defeat, Rivers Hoopers exit the competition with two consecutive losses and little to show for their efforts, while APR advance to the BAL semi-finals full of momentum.
