Defending champions of the men’s category of the FIBA Africa Zone Three Club Championships, Kano Pillars, on Saturday defeated Benin Republic’s Elan Sportif de Porto Novo 90-75.
The competition, which began on Saturday, will end on October 30 at the Stade Eyadema in Lome, Togo, with men and women’s teams from Niger, Benin, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo in attendance.
The competition will serve as qualifiers for the African Club Basketball Championships. Pillars won the 2015 edition in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Nigeria’s Women’s Basketball League runners-up Dolphins Basketball Club, withdrew from the competition and the country is represented by Pillars and Nigeria Customs in the men’s event while First Bank represent the country in the women’s event.
Nigerian champions Pillars banked on experience to beat their smaller and quicker opponents.
Pillars captain, Matthew Onmonya, led the floor with 22 points making some three point shots. Other players, who made double figures, were Gnimassou Joel of Elan Sportif with 18 points, Tossou Vivien of Elan with 19 points, Akpachi Romaric of the Beninese club with 16 points, while Yahaya Abdul of Kano Pillars also made 14 point.
Pillars will now take on AS Modele of Togo on Monday in their second game.
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