Espoir, Patriots cruise to second straight wins

DAR ES SALAAM (FIBA Africa Champions Cup 2016) - Rwandan sides Espoir and Patriots picked up their second consecutive wins at the FIBA Africa Champions Cup 2016 Zone 5 Qualifiers after seeing off Citizen and Savio respectively on Sunday night.

The 2012 Zone 5 champions defeated Citizen of South Sudan 90-46 in a one-sided encounter to announce their intentions of securing the lone ticket on offer for the FIBA Africa zone 5 clubs.

Experienced center Bienvenue Ngandu led the scoreboard with 16 points while Dieudonne Ndayisaba and Parfait Ishimwe added 14 points apiece to ensure victory getting them closer to a place in the last four.

Patriots of Rwanda edged home side Savio 68-56 for their second win much to the contentment of their head coach Henry Mwinuka, a former Savio player.

The Tanzanian tactician, who understands every detail of his former team, used the knowledge to orchestrate an effective plan that saw the Patriots outrebound Savio and dominate them in the paint.

Elie Kaje and Jean de Dieu Ntagunduka controlled the boards while Rwanda national team captain Aristide Mugabe and Ali Kubwimana were in charge of the back court on both offense and defense.

In the other games, Ulinzi picked up their first win at the tournament following a 78-71 win over ABC of Tanzania while USIU defeated UCU Canons of Uganda 81-58 in the university derby.

FIBA