In a thrilling basketball match on Saturday night, Rivers Hoopers' bench players proved their mettle, helping their team avoid a blowout loss to AS Douanes. Despite eventually losing 63-57, the Hoopers' bench reduced the scoring gap, which could have been much larger given their 22-point deficit at the end of the third quarter.
The game started with Hoopers guard Kelvin Mayo scoring the first two points, but AS Douanes quickly took control, leaving the Hoopers struggling to keep up. The Nigerian champions, who had impressively won the 2024 Sahara Conference with a 4-2 mark, looked out of sorts for most of the first three quarters.
With nothing working in their favor, Hoopers head coach Ogoh Odaudu made a bold decision to sit out his starting lineup in the fourth quarter. This move proved pivotal, as the Hoopers' bench took over, outscoring their AS Douanes counterparts 14-0 in the last ten minutes.
Johnson Anaiye's mid-range jumper with 25 seconds left brought the score to 61-57, prompting AS Douanes to recall their starting lineup. However, the damage was already done for the Hoopers.
AS Douanes forward Madut Akec acknowledged that complacency was a concern, stating, "If we're up by that much, we should be locked in, continue to get stops, and not get lazy on defense.”
Devine Eke was the only Hoopers player to score in double digits, finishing with 11 points.
Despite out-rebounding AS Douanes 56-48, the Hoopers' 21 turnovers in the first three quarters proved detrimental.
Abdoulaye Harouna led AS Douanes with 16 points, while Maduc Akec added 13.
Both teams head to the Quarter-Finals with a 4-3 mark, setting up an exciting next round of matches.
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