LUSAKA (Zambia) - Forward Panashe Kaduya put in a sublime performance in Harare Kings' 66-47 win over Soweto Panthers on Saturday.
Kaduya's double-double (20 points and 19 rebounds) helped revive the Zimbabwean club's campaign after they lost their opening game to Botswana's Dolphins on Friday.
The Panthers, coming into the fixture after a heavy 92-63 loss to Ferroviario da Beira on Friday, battled to contain Kaduya's ability to find space and make shots.
Twenty-five-year-old Kaduya made nine of his 19 attempts against South Africa's Panthers. He was also a defensive pillar, grabbing 15 rebounds at his team's end of the floor.
Kaduya diverted shot attempts at one end and landed two smooth jumpers on either side of Noah Penduka's three-pointer as the Kings took a 12-6 lead.
Kings make it rain buckets
The Kings, holding a three-point lead (15-12) from the first quarter, came out firing in the second. The Kings ran a 21-point stretch, starting with mid-range jumpers from Panashe Kaduya and Dyvonne Pfachi, who finished the game with 13 points.
Penduka, who made a 12-point contribution, dropped two threes during the run as the Panthers' defence struggled to stop the points leakage.
Eventually, back-to-back buckets by Lebesa Selepe and Kwazi temporarily halted the bleeding for the Panthers, who were down 33-18.
Harare piled on the points in the third quarter and even led by 29 (50-21), as the Panthers looked out of answers.
While they reduced the eventual scoreline to 19, the South African team has a lot of questions to ask themselves.
The Kings, on the other hand, keep their campaign alive.
FIBA