Nijimbere leads Dynamo’s comeback past Kern and into the Heroes’ Cup final
Dynamo were 17 points down after the first quarter and later trailed by 20, then won 95-85 in overtime to set up a final against Tigers on 21 October.
Guibert Nijimbere scored 22 points, with nine rebounds and nine assists, as Dynamo beat Kern 95-85 after overtime in the semi-finals of the 2026 Coupe des Héros. Dynamo recovered from a 20-point deficit to win at the Département des Sports in Bujumbura.
Dynamo will play Tigers in the final on 21 October. Tigers reached the final earlier the same day by beating Aigle Noir 86-56. Kern and Aigle Noir will meet in the third-place game.
The Heroes’ Cup is an annual men’s basketball competition in Burundi, organised by FEBABU and the Fondation Pax-Burundi. The date of the final is significant. 21 October is a national day of remembrance for Melchior Ndadaye, Burundi’s first democratically elected Hutu president, who was assassinated on that date in 1993.
Kern dominated the opening half. Napoléon Abikunze and Akimana Jambo Landry, known as Gasongo, led the scoring, and Kern finished the first quarter ahead 27-10. Their lead reached 20 points during the second quarter. Dynamo won that quarter 24-16 and went into half-time down 43-34.
Much of the crowd supported Kern, a point local coverage noted. Supporters of Urunani wore their club’s colours and backed Kern against Dynamo, Urunani’s main rival. The two clubs have recently competed for the top domestic titles. Urunani won the 2026 national championship, beating Dynamo 4-3 in the finals series.
Dynamo erased the deficit in the third quarter. Nijimbere and his teammates outscored Kern 26-17, and the score was 60-60 going into the final period. The fourth quarter ended 21-21, leaving the teams level at 81-81 after regulation.
Under basketball rules, a tied game goes to a five-minute overtime period. Dynamo won the overtime 14-4.
Nijimbere played 37 minutes and 33 seconds and came close to a triple-double. Clément Karabona gave Dynamo strong support inside, with 21 points, 17 rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes and 16 seconds.
Kern’s two leading players both had big games. Abikunze scored a game-high 26 points with five rebounds and three assists, and played 41 minutes and 59 seconds of a 45-minute game. Gasongo scored 20 points and took 14 rebounds, with one assist, in just over 29 minutes.
Kern’s dependence on those two players may have cost them late in the game. Abikunze played almost every minute, and Kern scored only four points in overtime after averaging more than 20 per quarter in regulation. The available match reports give no full box score or substitution data, so it is not possible to say how much fatigue contributed.
Dynamo, based in Bujumbura, were founded in 1968 and are among the country’s best-known clubs. In 2024 they became the first Burundian team to play in the Basketball Africa League. That campaign ended early. Dynamo withdrew after forfeiting two games when they refused to wear the “Visit Rwanda” shirt sponsorship, during a diplomatic dispute between Burundi and Rwanda. FIBA then temporarily suspended FEBABU, and the federation’s president, Jean Paul Manirakiza, resigned.
Dynamo have won the Heroes’ Cup before. Urunani have also won it, including a final against Dynamo. In this year’s final, Dynamo face a Tigers side that beat Aigle Noir by 30 points in their semi-final.
