A look at the history of BAL games that were decided in overtime

A thorough look into the Basketball Africa League (BAL) archives reveals how competitive the games have become over the years, and why an extra five or ten minutes has become the norm.

With the decisive Playoff stages of the 2026 BAL season approaching (22–31 May in Kigali, Rwanda), we present the numbers and historic facts of the league's overtime games. 

The main takeaways are as follows:

See below for the BAL games that were decided in single or double overtime: 

19 April 2022 – Espoir Fukash vs. Cape Town Tigers (96-92 in OT) – Cairo, Egypt

The former DR Congo champions came back from a 22-point deficit in the third quarter to tie the game at 87-87 after outscoring the Tigers 26-14 in the fourth quarter. In the additional five minutes, Espoir used an 11–5 scoring run to win the game 96–92. This was the first ever BAL game to be decided in overtime.

4 May 2024 – US Monastir vs. APR (84-89 in OT) – Dakar, Senegal

The 2024 BAL season got off to a promising start when debutants APR of Rwanda challenged the 2022 champions, US Monastir, in Dakar, Senegal. 

This evenly matched encounter finished 78-78 after 40 minutes and saw 12 lead changes. Ultimately, it was APR’s duo of Adonis Filer and Noel Obadiah who triumphed, with both players finishing with 24 points each to deny the Tunisian champions in overtime.

11 May 2024 – Rivers Hoopers vs. APR (78-71 in the first BAL Double-OT game), Dakar, Senegal

Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers rallied from a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter, using a 10-0 scoring run in the fourth to tie the game at 58-58 after 40 minutes. The Hoopers and APR remained tied after an extra five minutes, but the Port Harcourt-based team struck the final blow in the second overtime to win 78-71. The Rivers Hoopers went on to finish their 2024 BAL campaign in third place.

26 May 2024 – FUS Rabat vs. Cape Town Tigers (88-91 in OT) – Kigali, Rwanda

In the first-ever BAL Playoffs game to go into overtime, Samkelo Cele played one of the biggest games of his career to send the Cape Town Tigers to their first semifinal. Despite both teams shooting below 58% from the free-throw line, Cele, who eventually finished with a career-high 30 points, took control of the game to help the Tigers cause an upset against FUS Rabat, who had reached Kigali as winners of the Kalahari Conference. The saying 'third time's a charm' could not be more fitting for the Tigers, who lost their first two games of the season in Pretoria to FUS Rabat.

29 May 2024 – Rivers Hoopers vs. Al Ahly Ly (83-89 in OT) – Kigali, Rwanda

Both teams had their 2024 BAL season at stake, with the winners advancing to the Championship Game. The Hoopers erased a 16-point deficit in the first half and forced overtime, but stopping eventual season MVP Jo Lual-Acuil and Robert Golden proved impossible. Golden and Acuil scored 47 of Al Ahly Libya’s 89 points. The Benghazi-based team won 89–83 to reach their first-ever BAL final, ultimately finishing second.  

29 May 2024 – Petro de Luanda vs. Cape Town Tigers (96-86 in OT) – Kigali, Rwanda

This was the third meeting between the Petroliers of Angola and the Tigers of South Africa, who had each beaten the other once during their Kalahari Conference meetings two months earlier. While Petro de Luanda were in the semi-finals for the fourth consecutive time, Cape Town had reached this stage of the BAL for the first time ever. Although Petro de Luanda were favourites on paper, the reality was different, with the Tigers challenging and contesting every possession to take the game into overtime at 77–77. However, Petro de Luanda's 19-9 score in the extra five minutes proved too much for the Tigers, whose bench was outscored 57-13. Petro de Luanda were eventually crowned the 2024 BAL champions.

1 May 2025 – ASC Ville de Dakar vs. Kriol Star (92-95 in OT) – Dakar, Senegal

This was the second clash between the two BAL debutantes experiencing contrasting fortunes in the early days of the Sahara Conference. While Kriol Star went into the game with a 1–2 record, ASC Ville de Dakar were brimming with confidence thanks to their 2–1 record, which included victories over title contenders Petro de Luanda and US Monastir. Kriol Star needed to bounce back, and beating ASC Ville de Dakar for the second time in two games was essential for the Kriols. With the score tied at 83-83 at the end of regulation, Kriol Star capitalised on ASC Dakar’s 16 turnovers (compared to their own five) to secure their second win of the season. Kriol Star eventually advanced to the play-offs, while ASC Ville de Dakar did not, finishing with a 2–4 win–loss record.  

4 May 2025 – Petro de Luanda vs. Kriol Star (69-71 in OT) – Dakar, Senegal 

Kriol Star knew only too well that losing by a large margin to Petro de Luanda again was never an option. The Kriols took to the court determined to win, and their disciplined zone defence caused Petro de Luanda all sorts of problems throughout the game. They kept the then defending champions scoreless for the first five minutes, during which time they went on a 12-point run. Kriol led by as many as 26 points before the Angolan champions fought back to take a two-point lead (60–58) later in the fourth quarter. With the score tied at 62–62 after 40 minutes, rookie Lewis Uvwo scored the game-winning tap-in, shocking the eventual 2025 BAL runners-up, Petro de Luanda.   

8 June 2025 – Al Ittihad Alexandria vs. FUS Rabat (86-83 in OT) – Pretoria, South Africa

Al Ittihad Alexandria reached the 2025 BAL Playoffs as one of two undefeated teams, boasting an impressive 6-0 record from the regular season. Beating Alahli Tripoli 85-74 in the seeding round to advance to the quarterfinals as the only remaining undefeated team was the icing on the cake. However, the Egyptian giants needed an extra five minutes to overcome FUS Rabat, who were desperate to bounce back from their opening Playoffs loss to Kriol Star. Al Ittihad Alexandria progressed to the semi-finals but finished the season in fourth place after two consecutive losses.  

28 April 2026 – Club Africain vs. JCA Kings (79-74 in OT) – Rabat, Morocco

When BAL debutantes JCA Kings and Club Africain met in Rabat on Game Day 4 of the 2026 Sahara Conference, the two teams were at opposite ends of the table. While Tunisia’s Club Africain topped the conference with a perfect record of two wins and no losses, the Kings from Côte d'Ivoire were still chasing their first win after losing their opening two games.  With Jonathan Cissé scoring from every corner of the court, the Kings had a promising first half, leading by as many as 15 points. However, it was only a matter of time before Club Africain tied the game at 66–66 at the end of regulation. Club Africain eventually won 79–74 and improved to 3–0, while the JCA Kings dropped to 0–3.

3 May 2026 – FUS Rabat vs. Al Ahly SC (71-77 in the second BAL Double-OT game) – Rabat, Morocco

Prior to their meeting in the 2026 Sahara Conference, FUS Rabat had beaten the Egyptian giants 89–78 in the seeding round of the 2024 BAL season in Kigali. However, Al Ahly returned the favour by beating FUS Rabat in front of their own fans. With the score tied at 57-57 at the end of regulation and 63-63 after five extra minutes, Al Ahly SC finally capitalised on FUS Rabat’s seven turnovers in the additional ten minutes to secure a 77-71 victory, their fourth in five games.

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