Numbers that marked the first four games in the 2024 Sahara Conference

The 2024 Sahara Conference is now in full swing at the world-class Dakar Arena with four games already played and eight more to come.
 
Hosts AS Douanes, APR (Rwanda), Tunisia’s US Monastir and Nigerian champions Rivers Hoopers continue their battle to qualify for the playoffs later this month in Kigali.
 
But before the four teams return to action on Tuesday, the bal.nba.com looks at the numbers that marked the start of the conference.
 
From high scorers, large number of fans attending the games and the first game of the season to go into overtime, the first four games of the Sahara Conference witnessed a bit everything.
 
HIGH SCORERS
 
Twenty-four hours after Devine Eke led Rivers Hoopers to a 77-68 win with his 31 points, and three hours after APR guard Obadiah Noel came up with 32 points and Will Perry responded with 31 to help Rivers Hoopers beat the Rwandan champions 86-82, Abdoulaye Harouna set a 2024 Sahara Conference record with 35 points by helping AS Douanes to a 76-59 win over US Monastir.
 
Harouna shot 10-for-23, and a 8-for-17 from behind the arc to set his BAL career-high of 35 points.
 
HOOPERS MADE IT RAIN
 
On Sunday, May 5, 2024, Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers recorded (14) made three-points – this is the second most 3-pointers made in season 4 of the BAL thus far just behind 2023 BAL champions Al Ahly SC.
 
OVERTIME GAME
 
The battle for the playoffs is so intense in the Sahara Conference that teams are fighting for every possession until the final whistle.
 
And the teams’ determination to extend their BAL season beyond Sunday, May 12 was reflected during the first game of the conference between US Monastir and APR when Obadiah Noel hit a three-point buzzer beater to send the game into overtime (78-78) where APR prevailed 89-84.
 
This was the second game in the BAL history to go to overtime since Espoir Fukash beat Cape Town Tigers 96-92 in 2022 in Cairo.
 
FEWEST POINTS IN A GAME
 
No team has scored fewer points in a game this season than US Monastir.

The winners of the BAL season 2 fell 76-59 to AS Douanes becoming the first team to score less than 60 points this season.
 
HOME CROWD
 
Senegalese fans are famous for their passion for the game of basketball, and this became evident on the opening day of the conference where 8,593 turned out at Dakar Arena to watch hosts AS Douanes against Rivers Hoopers.