Friday, July 24
•JT Lady Jaguars 77-61 Magic Stormers
•City Oilers 64-54 Rezlife Saints
City Oilers made a winning start to their National Basketball League (NBL) Playoffs semifinal series after defeating Rezlife Saints 64-54 in Game One on Friday at Lugogo.
The Oilers built a commanding lead in the first half, taking the opening quarter 16-10 before extending their advantage with a 22-10 second quarter to head into halftime with a 38-20 lead.
Although Rezlife Saints responded strongly after the break, winning the second half 34-26, the early damage was already done as the Oilers held on for victory.
New signing Germaine Roebuck Jr. announced his arrival in style on his debut, coming off the bench to score a game-high 16 points after shooting 7-for-12 from the field.
Patrick Rembert contributed 15 points for the defending champions.
For Rezlife Saints, Chris Omanye and Edrine Ekau led the scoring with 11 points apiece.
City Oilers won the rebounding contest 49-43 but were let down by turnovers, committing 23 in the game.
The Saints, meanwhile, struggled from long range, converting just five of their 33 attempts from beyond the arc.
The Saints, who eliminated Sommet in the quarterfinals, will need to improve their shooting efficiency as they look to level the best-of-five series in Game Two on Sunday.
Making their first-ever appearance in the NBL semifinals, Rezlife Saints have already exceeded expectations, but face a tough task against a City Oilers side chasing an 11th league title.
The Oilers will be aiming for a quick 3-0 series sweep to preserve energy ahead of the finals.
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