Browsing Tag game

Local basketball powerhouse Espoir Basketball Club has claimed the title of best in the region, thumping next-door rival Urunani BBC of Burundi by a 51-point difference in the men’s final at the just concluded Zone 5 Club Championships held in Uganda.

The final score of 90-39 would understandably illicit doubts from the reader of whether it’s a typing error, but indeed the score stood firm at the end of hostilities, meaning a first regional title for the storied franchise, and the double satisfaction of smooth revenge exacted as Urunani had earlier defeated Espoir in pool play, 68-66.

The only Rwandan representative in the tourney, Espoir stated its intentions early with an opening-day win over tourney favorites Kyambogo Warrior of Uganda, 72-56, leading throughout. Next up was Tanzania’s Savio, which also succumbed to a 90-51 beat-down, before Espoir lost its only game of the tournament, the aforementioned loss to Urunani by just 2 points.

Instead of demoralizing Espoir, which is a French word meaning ‘hope,’ the loss served to galvanize the Rwandan flag-bearers. Having secured qualification for the knock-out round despite the Urunani loss, Espoir stampeded its way to the title in dominant fashion, knocking out reigning league champions of Uganda, Power 67-54 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score suggests, to set up a final clash with their bitter rivals from neighboring Burundi.

The final was anything but a contest however, as Espoir totally ran Urunani off the court, leading by 20 points by the half-time break, and extending that lead into official blow-out territory by the game’s final whistle.

Jubilation ensued as Espoir celebrated their coup, marking the first time a Rwandan side has taken the title since army-side APR triumphed in 2008, successfully defending the title they won in 2007 and 2002.

As icing on the cake, Espoir’s outstanding player Aristide Mugabe was named tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP), having pumped in 26 points in the final to help his side to victory, besides an equally impressive performance from longtime Espoir player Jean Louis Habineza’s 24 points.

In the Women’s Final, Eagle Wings emerged winners in an all-Kenyan affair, beating compatriots Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) 77-54.
 

Kobe Bryant exploded into life in the second half as the United States eased into the semi-finals of the London Olympics.

Australia fought hard to keep the Americans in check, but had no answer once Bryant found his stroke.

The Los Angeles Lakers man had done little to live up to his superstar status in London prior to this game and reached half-time 0-for-four from the field and with as many fouls committed – 14 – as field goals made in the entire tournament.

But that changed in a big way in the second half as he made six-of-nine three-point attempts to fire a United States surge that killed off the Boomers.

Australia played the Americans hard in the first half but were let down by the simple things.

They reached the interval shooting just nine of 17 from the free-throw line.

They were also missing some straightforward lay-ups, with Patty Mills, Aron Baynes and Aleks Maric all guilty.

That allowed an American team hardly firing on all cylinders themselves to pull away gradually.

Deron Williams hit a pair of free throws late in the first quarter to make it 26-16.

Kevin Love made it 56-40 late in the first half, but Australia grabbed the last two points through Mills’ free throws and then exploded out of the gates after the break.

Mills and Joe Ingles combined on an 11-0 run, with Ingles hitting back-to-back three-pointers to make it 56-53.

The game stayed close until Bryant came up with back-to-back three-pointers that had his team-mates off their seats on the bench as the lead moved to 70-58.

A huge slam from Durant made it 80-66 as the Americans stepped it up late in the third quarter.

Bryant continued to pour in the points, and then Durant, LeBron James and James Harden brought out the party tricks with a series of late dunks.

Bryant finished with 20 points, Deron Williams had 18 and Carmelo Anthony 17. Kevin Durant added 14, James 11 and Love 10.

Mills led Australia with 26 and Ingles had 19.

Britain won their first Olympic basketball game in 64 years and did so in style by thumping China 90-58 on Monday to the roars of the home crowd in their last contest of the London Games.

The only other Olympic victory for Britain came in the 1948 London Games when after finishing 0-5 in the group, they beat Ireland in a classification game that put them in 20th place.

The lopsided Group B victory came in a clash of winless teams, but it was an emotional triumph for Britain and veterans Robert Archibald and Nate Reinking who were playing their last game for their country.

“I’m extremely proud of the way they played today,” Britain coach Chris Finch told reporters. “They came out with fire in their belly to get a win and make a little bit of history.

“Certainly it is what we needed, what the basketball community in general needed.”

The victory for 43rd-ranked Britain over number eight China gave the hosts a 1-4 record in Group B and sent the Chinese home at 0-5.

The British team’s best known player, Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng, said getting the win for his longtime team mates meant more to him than anything.

“Seeing Rob crying at the end, it meant a lot to me,” said Deng.

Britain were in command from the start, using a 12-0 run to seize a 22-12 lead and never looked back.

Kieron Achara led the team with 16 points as everyone contributed. Reinking scored 12, Archibald had eight points and Deng registered six.

“Hopefully we showed everyone that we have potential,” Deng said. “I think the game will be more popular and there will be more attention to it.

“We’ve come a long way.”

Britain had gamely challenged two other strong teams earlier in the tournament, taking Brazil (ranked 13th) and Spain (second) to the wire.

Deng hoped that this taste of Olympic success might lead to more kids taking up the game.

“There’s a lot of kids out there spending a lot of time not doing anything,” he said. “You never know if by having more facilities and attention to the sport what kids you might interest.”

Above all, Deng said his lasting memory of the victory at the Olympic Basketball Arena would be tied to his team mates.

“For Rob and Nate we made history,” he said. “To have the last game at the Olympics and go out with a win, I’m extremely excited for those guys.”

A nasty, bad-tempered joust with Argentina’s basketball team woke up the sleeping giants from the U.S. on Monday, spurring them to a 126-97 victory that earned a top-seeded berth in the quarter-finals.

Players from both sides were knocked down in a closely-fought first half and they often glowered at each other as the contest turned into a rout for the Americans who had narrowly beaten Lithuania in their previous game.

The muscular LeBron James threw an arm out at one point to sweep experienced Argentine Manu Ginobili off his feet.

After going to intermission locked in a 60-59 struggle, Argentina were buried under a flurry of three-pointers from Kevin Durant.

Durant, who made 8-of-10 three-pointers in the game, nailed four from beyond the arc in a third-quarter stretch that took the U.S. lead from 12 points to 24.

The quarter ended with more physical combat as Carmelo Anthony hit the floor doubled up in pain after making a three-pointer to send the Americans into the fourth session with a 102-76 advantage.

It seemed a fight might break out at that point as several players from both teams approached each other near mid-court before being separated.

GOLD IN 2004

Argentina won the gold medal in 2004 and are the only nation apart from the U.S. to win the Olympic title since the triumphant American ‘Dream Team’ was launched at the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Early in the fourth quarter, Russell Westbrook was given a technical foul for taunting an Argentine player after slamming a dunk through a basket.

After that the game carried on to a peaceful finish.

Durant led the Americans with 28 points. James added 18 while Ginobili scored 16 points as Argentina’s high scorer.

The win helped the Americans complete a 5-0 record in Group A and they now face Australia (3-2) in Wednesday’s quarter-finals.

Argentina (3-2) next meet arch-rivals Brazil (4-1) while Group B winners Russia (4-1) play Lithuania (2-3) and France (4-1) take on Spain (3-2).

Two days after their easiest game in living memory, the United States were taken to the wire by a spirited Lithuania team.

The Americans pulled away in the final two minutes to stay unbeaten at the London Olympics, but only after being given a huge scare by opponents that looked to be on a mission.

The United States came into the game on the back of their record-breaking 156-73 rout of Nigeria on Thursday night, but were in for a very different afternoon.

Lithuania opened the scoring through Linas Kleiza but soon found themselves 12-4 down after Kobe Bryant hit three straight free throws and Kevin Durant nailed a three-pointer.

Renaldas Seibutis brought it back to 12-9 before Carmelo Anthony, fresh from setting an American Olympic record by scoring 37 points in just 14 and a half minutes against Nigeria, came off the bench and picked up where he left off with a long two.

Durant added another three to make it 18-11 but again Lithuania responded, and Darius Songaila’s jump-shot made it 20-18.

Anthony hit a three just before the buzzer to give the Americans a 33-25 bulge at the end of the first quarter.

Lithuania were still fighting and Simas Jasaitis’ lay-up from a LeBron James turnover made it 55-50 late in the first half.

Lithuania were down by four at the break, but stunned the Americans as Jonas Valanciunas closed the gap before Sarunas Jasikevicius had them on top, 56-55, with a three-pointer.

The Americans heard the wake-up call, and reeled off seven rapid points.

That was not enough to shake off Lithuania though.

A three-pointer from Jasikevicius made it 63-61 early in the third quarter and the gap was back to two, 67-65, on a Seibutis lay-up with four minutes left in the period.

Seibutis then snatched the ball from Anthony and teed up Paulius Jankunas for a slam to level it at 67-67.

The United States began to get a little separation from Russell Westbrook’s three-point play and two free throws from Kevin Love, but Lithuania hit right back with Martynas Pocius’ reverse lay-up making it 74-72 late in the third.

The Americans reeled off quick six points and when Carmelo Anthony capitalised on another turnover the score was 80-72 early in the fourth.

Now it was Lithuania’s turn, with Pocius scoring five in a mini spurt before Kleiza’s three put them up 82-80.

Durant’s two-handed slam levelled the game and as the teams traded baskets, the Americans gained the edge with a three from Chris Paul and a breakaway lay-up from Deron Williams to make it 87-84.

Songaila hit back for Lithuania before the United States began to take control in the final three minutes.

James nailed a three and then slammed it home moments later from a turnover to make it 92-86.

Songaila scored again but Williams’ three and James’ lay-up gave the Americans a 97-88 lead with 2:08 to go.

Kleiza’s lay-up made it 99-92 with 28 seconds left but time ran out on Lithuania’s plucky challenge.

Anthony and James led the Americans with 20 points each while Durant had 16 and Williams 12.

Kleiza had 25 points for Lithuania.

Anthony Davis is living the dream, slamming down dunks at the London Olympics with the latest incarnation of the U.S. Dream Team as a 19-year-old player yet to play a National Basketball Association (NBA) game.

Davis was a late addition in place of injured forward Blake Griffin of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, and the U.S. college player of the year from national champions Kentucky has stepped up and won rave reviews from his illustrious team mates.

“He’s great. He’s going to be a great pro,” said LeBron James, the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals in June where he lead the Miami Heat to victory.

“He’s going to be a special player. You can definitely see that,’ added three-time NBA All-Star guard Deron Williams.

“He’s going to be a phenomenal player. He’s one of those guys who’s going to change a franchise for decades,” said three-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant.

Davis treated fans at the Olympic Basketball Arena to a sneak preview of his future on Tuesday as the 6-foot-10 (2.08m) number one pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets got his first extended court time in a 110-53 rout of Tunisia.

He managed 12 points, going 5-for-5 from the field on five thunderous slams off alley-oop passes, one blocked shot and three rebounds in 14 minutes of playing time.

“I didn’t know it was going to be this much fun,” Davis told Reuters before practice for the Tunisia game. “They’re treating me good, make me feel like I’m part of the team, make me feel like I’m a (veteran), unless they get too lazy and don’t want to do nothing and I become a rookie again.”

The U.S. women’s basketball team, evoking memories of the men’s Dream Team of 1992, put on a hoops masterclass in routing African champions Angola 90-38 at the Olympics on Monday.

It took a little while for the Americans to get in synch, but once they did the reigning four-times Olympic champions put on a fastbreak show to extend their Games winning streak to 35 matches.

The last time the U.S. women lost at an Olympics was 20 years ago in Barcelona when they came away with the bronze at the same Games where the newly-invited NBA stars swept to the gold beginning with a 116-48 romp over Angola’s men’s team.

Candace Parker led a balanced U.S. attack with 14 points on Monday while Sonia Guadalupe was top scorer for Angola with 10 points as they lost again in their second outing.

The game ended the second day of competition in the women’s tournament, with France’s stirring 74-70 overtime upset of Australia the highlight of the day.

That gave the French a 2-0 record while dropping triple silver medallists Australia to 1-1.

Britain (0-2) had the Olympic Basketball Arena rocking with support from the home crowd for most of the game before they faded at the end to lose 73-65 against Canada (1-1).

China improved to a 2-0 record with an easy 83-58 win against Croatia; Russia (2-0) won 69-59 against Brazil (0-2), and Turkey (2-0) won 61-57 over the Czech Republic (0-2).

Not many know much about the guy who dominated Game 1 of the NBA Finals, other than he’s pretty good.

Kevin Durant is a mystery even to some of the players trying to beat him.

“It’s one of those things where I respect his game, but I don’t know him, either. I know probably just as much as you guys know,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said to Kigalidunker.com.

He doesn’t seek the spotlight and it seldom comes to Oklahoma looking for him. He rarely makes much news and wouldn’t read it anyway, preferring the quiet life LeBron James gave up any hope of when he went to Miami and promised all those championships at that big welcoming party two summers ago.

Durant instead committed to remaining in Oklahoma City that same month, bypassing a big announcement by revealing on Twitter he had agreed to a contract extension.

A few more performances like he had in the opener, when he scored 17 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter of the Thunder’s 105-94 victory, and Durant could take his place as the league’s biggest star.

Yet he pays no more attention to praise than he does criticism — unless it comes from within his organization.

“I have faith in all those things that I do day in and day out — coming in, working hard, believing in myself and my teammates, and believing in the system,” Durant said.

“Whatever happens after that, it happens, as long as I know that I come in and give it my all every single day.

“I can’t worry about what other people say or expectations they put on me. It’s just all about how I view myself and how my teammates view me and we’ll go from there.”

Sunday

San Antonio 101-98 Oklahoma City     Spurs lead series 1-0

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs taught Oklahoma City a lesson in championship poise with a 101-98 win on Sunday that stretched their remarkable win streak to 19 games and earned them a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

The experienced Spurs, who have won four NBA championships under coach Gregg Popovich, trailed by nine after three quarters but kept their cool and sprinted to the finish to win the opening game of the best-of-seven series.

Manu Ginobili scored a team-high 26 points off the bench, and Tony Parker added 18 as San Antonio outscored the visiting Thunder 39-27 in the fourth to pass a rare post-season test.

“They had us on our heels and we were not aggressive,” Ginobili told reporters of the game’s first three quarters. We needed an edge. In the (fourth quarter), we had it.”

The red-hot Spurs remain perfect in the post-season with nine victories and have now tied the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers for longest win streak between the regular season and playoffs.

Kevin Durant netted 27 points and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City, who defeated the past two NBA champions in their previous rounds and were in good shape to move ahead of San Antonio before getting blitzed in the fourth.

Le pivot de l’équipe Ougandaise de Warriors, Eric Malinga, est au Rwanda en tractation  avec l’équipe de basketball de l’APR avec une option d’achat.

D’après les sources du quotidien ougandais New Vision où ce joueur vient d’accorder une interview, les négociations entre les deux parties vont bon train. Sauf imprévus, il pourrait signer au cours du mois de janvier prochain.

Dans ses déclarations, il explique : « Les tractations continuent mais ce n’est pas encore terminé. La raison principale est que le championnat rwandais n’est pas encore débuté car ils sont dans les matchs des play-offs. Sitôt le championnat entamé, les négociations aboutiront.

Brian Gumisiriza, le directeur chargé du planning quotidien dans l’équipe de Warriors déclare à nos confrères que les négociations en vue d’une prolongation de contrat avec Malinga sont en cours. « Mais si les discussions avec APR BC aboutissent, nous respecterons son choix puisque ce sont ses intérêts qui priment » a-t-il dit.

APR BC est dans une optique descendante depuis que Kigali Basketball Club (KBC) vient de remporter le championnat rwandais consécutivement pendant qu’APR BC s’est classé en troisième position cette année. D’où son souhait de redorer son blason qui était le sien les années précédentes avant l’émergence de KBC. Nous avons voulu en savoir plus davantage de ce dossier auprès des autorités d’APPR BC, les démarches ont été vaines.