(by Olusegun Ikuesan) africabasket.com
Nigeria DStv league runner-up Royal Hoopers basketball club Thursday end the invicibility of Abidjan Basket Club, ABC with a 60-44 points victory in highly defensive game.
The Game-7 pairing between both sides came at a time both teams were enjoying excellent run in the FIBA Africa Champions Club Zone-3 Qualifiers with odd favouring the Ivories since they are not new on the African stage but the Nigerian debutant put pressure on the Abidjan-based ABC opening a ten points lead in the first quarter of 16-06 points.
Effort by ABC to fight back in the second quarter was rebuffed by the Hoopers who are determined to make it to the final round of the continent biggest club championship slated for Cotonou, Benin Republic between December 10-19, 2010, though Royal Hoopers lost the second quarter 12-13 points but they were able to maintain a nine points lead of 28-19 at half-time.
The Hoopers players who were pleased with their performance against ABC sustain the pressure winning the third quarter by 21-14 point and drew level with their opponent by 11-11 in the fourth quarter for a final score-line of 60-44 points to move to the second position behind Kano Pillars.