In a crucial Rwanda Basketball League matchup for the battle for a playoff berth,
Espoir BBC stunned Tigers 69-63 on Wednesday at the Lycée de Kigali Gymnasium with a remarkable second-half comeback.
The Tigers embarked on a 17-7 run in the opening five minutes. Espoir BBC’s struggles on both ends of the floor persisted in the opening quarter, which Tigers won 21-17.
In the second period, The Tigers led by as many as 9 points, and they looked to continue building on that when they brought their starters back into the game with just five minutes left in the first half.
Espoir BBC tried to cut the deficit to three points, however, Philippe Kubanatubane’s three-point buzzer-beater extended the lead over Espoir BBC to 6 points before the break. Hence the Tigers wrapped up the first half with a 38-32 lead.
In the third quarter, Espoir BBC toughened up on defence and began making their comeback. They slowed down the Tigers’ pace and held them to 11 points, thus, trailing by only 3 points before the start of the last quarter. 46-49.
In the last quarter, Espoir kept the ball rolling, forcing multiple turnovers and fouls within the first couple of minutes, being efficient in their shot as well as capitalizing shots on the free throw line after drawing fouls.
The effort paid off, as Espoir seized the lead in the final 30 seconds, 65-63 through Eric Muhayumukiza’s 2 floating point shot. The opponent became irritated as they committed needless unsportsmanlike fouls, leaving them no chance to recover in the game.
Full time, Espoir BBC stun Tigers 69-63 to snap the Tigers’ four-game win streak and improve to 12-3. Espoir is ranked second behind the table toppers REG BBC.
Olivier Turatsinze led all scorers with 22 points, going 15-18 from the free throw line. Steven Pierrere was outstanding on both ends of the court, grabbing 14 rebounds and scoring 13 points for a double-double spectacular effort.
Tigers’ Tresor Muteba had another double-double performance too (12 PTS 14 REBS). Philippe Kubanatubane, Fiston Irutingabo, and Morel Lunguewane scored in double digits too.
Espoir will look to extend their winning streak to eight games when rubbing shoulders with IPRC Kigali this Friday at Stecol. Tigers (7-8) will be back on the floor on 7th May against IPRC Kigali as well.
The top four clubs from the regular season will advance to the playoffs. With the city heavyweights Patriots, REG, and APR on the front lines, clubs like Espoir, Titans, and Tigers are fighting for the fourth position. Espoir’s win over the Tigers boosts the likelihood of Espoir making the playoffs.
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