Saturday

Men

IPRC-South 64-55 EspoirCSK 43-60 UR- CASSPatriots 76-69 UGBRusizi 76-81 IPRC-KigaliAPR 71-65 U18 Boys

Women

UR- CASS 39-62 Ubumwe

Southern Province-based Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC-South) beat defending champions Espoir 64-55 on Saturday in Huye to maintain a pole position in the national basketball league table.

IPRC- South have now beaten Jean Bahufite’s Espoir twice in the same season, with the youthful side also having upset the Nyamirambo-based giants 83-64 last November to win the preseason tournament.

Espoir took the first quarter 13-11, thanks largely to seven points from centre Bienvenue Ngandu, but the hosts bounced to claim the second quarter 18-14 and seize control of the game with a 29-27 lead at half-time.

However, upon returning for the second-half, IPRC-South, with two back-to-back 3s from Yesman Bushiri, never looked back and won the final two quarters; 21-17 and 14-11, respectively, as Didier Bineza’s team handed the four-time champions their second league loss of the season.

Ngandu of Espoir scored the game high 15 points, while Patrick Buzangu added 11 points but it was the in-form IPRC-South, who had the final laugh, with Fabrice Ikishatse and Bushiri scoring 13 points apiece while captain Bienvenue Niyonsaba contributed 12 points.

Elsewhere, title hopefuls Patriots overcame UGB 76-69, UR- CASS beat struggling CSK 60-43, while IPRC-Kigali won 81-76 over Rusizi, with Cliff Owuor’s APR defeating U18 Boys Team 71-65.

In the women’s league, 2014 champions Ubumwe overpowered UR- CASS 62-39 at UR-Huye campus gymnasium.

IPRC-South tops the table standings with 15 points from 8 games with a 7:1 win ratio, while second-placed Patriots have 14 points with a 7:0 win ratio. Espoir and IPRC-Kigali are in third and fourth, respectively, with 12 points and a 5:2 win ratio each.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw