Kriol Star (Cape Verde) delivered one of the biggest surprises of the Basketball Africa League playoffs qualification phase, defeating reigning champions Petro de Luanda (Angola) 71-69 in a dramatic overtime thriller to book their spot in the 2025 BAL Playoffs in Pretoria, South Africa.

Anderson Correia paced Kriol Star with 16 points and five rebounds, while Ivan Almeida nearly posted a triple-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists. NBA Academy Africa prospect Lewis Uvwo added 14 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks in a 40-minute outing. Despite committing 28 turnovers, Kriol Star dominated the boards 52-43 to edge Petro in a tense finish.

Glofate Buiamba led Petro with 16 points while Aboubacar Gakou contributed 15 points and seven rebounds. Both teams wrapped up the Sahara Conference with identical 3-3 records and secured passage to the BAL Playoffs, with Petro finishing second and Kriol Star third.

In the second game of the evening, US Monastir (Tunisia), champions of the 2022 BAL season, secured the top spot in the Sahara Conference after a commanding 77-68 win over ASC Ville de Dakar (Senegal). Osiris Eldridge poured in 22 points with four assists, while Babacar Sane, another NBA Academy Africa product, delivered 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Monastir shot 43% from the field and controlled the glass with a 45-39 rebounding edge. Will Perry led Dakar with 20 points and seven assists, and Makhtar Gueye added 18 points as the host team bowed out of their 2025 BAL campaign.

The Sahara Conference, hosted at Dakar Arena in Senegal, attracted over 47,000 fans, highlighting the rising popularity of African basketball.

The 2025 Basketball Africa League season now shifts focus to the Nile Conference, scheduled from May 17–25 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. Competing teams include:

• Made By Basketball (MBB, South Africa)

• Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya)

• Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya)

• APR (Rwanda)

The top two teams from the Nile Conference, along with the best third-placed team compared to FUS Rabat (Morocco) from the Kalahari Conference, will join Al Ittihad (Egypt), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), US Monastir, Petro de Luanda, and Kriol Star in the 2025 BAL Playoffs at SunBet Arena in Pretoria from June 6 to 14.