Sunday

IPRC-Kigali 81-74 Rusizi

30-Plus 37-85 IPRC-South

APR 91-45 UGB

Espoir 127-32 CSK

Four-time league winners Espoir Basketball Club made a flying start in the 2016/17 season with a resounding 127-32 win over Cercle Sportif de Kigali (CSK) on Sunday at Amahoro Indoor Stadium.

Despite losing several key players and head coach to their rivals, the Nyamirambo-based outfit showed no sign of feebleness defeating Rugunga-based CSK with a difference of 95 points.

Under their new head coach Maxime Mwiseneza; Espoir did not face any challenge from their opponents easily running away with the first quarter 32-2.

The 2008 league champions CSK improved in the second quarter but still lost it 30-14, however; Espoir were in no mood to show any mercy to their opponents claiming the third quarter 30-10.

Mwiseneza’s title hopefuls upped their game a notch higher in the final quarter taking it 33-6 to wrap the game 127-32, a result that will surely send a chilling message to the rest of the teams.

Espoir captain Olivier Shyaka scored a game high and season best 43 points while his teammate Emile Galois Kajeneza dropped 29 points.

"We are happy with our performance today, we lost some of our key players, which was unfortunate in one way or the other but I am happy that the team spirit remained high and players are determined to fight for the title,” Mwiseneza said in the post-game interview.

Some of the senior players that left Espoir include shooting guard Lionel Hakizimana and Pascal Karekezi, who joined newly created Bank of Kigali (BK) Basketball Club that on Friday dramatically withdrew from competing in the league this season.

Others are; Bievenue Ngandu as well as former Espoir coach Jean Bahufite, who signed for new league entrants Rwanda Energy Group (REG) and Patrick Buzangu, who went to ply his trade in DR Congo.

In other games, reigning playoffs champions IPRC-South defeated 30-Plus 85-37 while former champions APR defeated United Generation Basketball (UGB) 91-45 and IPRC-Kigali overcame Rusizi Basketball Club 81-74.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw