Anderson Correia got 16 points and five rebounds, Ivan Almeida added 14 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists and Basketball Africa League (BAL) (www.BAL.NBA.com) debutant Kriol Star (Cape Verde) defeated the defending champion Petro de Luanda (Angola) 71-69 in overtime, booking their spot to the 2025 BAL Playoffs which will take place at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa from 6-14 June. NBA Academy Africa prospect Lewis Uvwo played 40 minutes and finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. The Star outrebounded Petro 52-43, but also finished with 28 turnovers.
Glofate Buiamba led Petro with 16 points, with Aboubacar Gakou adding 15 points and seven rebounds. With 3 wins and 3 losses, both teams qualified to the BAL Playoffs in Pretoria – Petro finished second and the Star finished third in the Sahara Conference.
In the second game this evening, Osiris Eldridge (22 points and four assists) and former NBA Academy Africa prospect Babacar Sane (13 points and 12 rebounds) led the 2022 BAL champion US Monastir (Tunisia) to a 77-68 win over ASC Ville de Dakar (Senegal). The win gave Monastir (4-2) the top place in the Sahara Conference and an automatic qualification to the playoffs. Monastir shot 43 percent from the floor and outrebounded Dakar 45-39. Will Perry led Dakar with 20 points and seven assists and Makhtar Gueye added 18 points as the host team concluded their 2025 BAL campaign.
More than 47,000 fans attended the Sahara Conference games at Dakar Arena in Senegal.
The 2025 BAL season will continue with the Nile Conference group phase which will be held from 17-25 May at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. The Nile Conference will feature four teams: Made By Basketball (MBB, South Africa), Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya), Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya) and Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball (APR, Rwanda). The top two teams from the Nile Conference and a team with a better record between FUS Rabat (Morocco, Kalahari Conference) and the team which will finish third in the Nile Conference will join Al Ittihad (Egypt), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), US Monastir, Petro de Luanda and Kriol Star in the 2025 BAL Playoffs in South Africa.
Postgame media availability:
- Kriol Star v Petro de Luanda (https://apo-opa.co/43etLE1)
- US Monastir v ASC Ville de Dakar (https://apo-opa.co/3GFyC8E)
Standings:
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).