Petro de Luanda end Al Ittihad's unbeaten run to reach the BAL Final for the third time

On Wednesday, Petro de Luanda beat Al Ittihad 96-74 in the second semifinal to advance to the Basketball Africa League (BAL) final for the third time in five seasons.

It was Al Ittihad's first loss of the season. Al Ittihad reached the semifinals with an undefeated record of 8-0, while Petro de Luanda was 4-4 before the semifinals.

The Angolan champions will face Al Ahli Tripoli in the 2025 BAL final on Saturday.

Al Ittihad got off to a perfect start, making all three of their first field goals, followed by two free throws by Jo Lual Acuil Jr. for an 8-5 lead.

However, when Patrick Gardner sank a three-pointer to tie the game at 8-8, and Rigoberto Mendoza scored a layup to give Petro de Luanda a 10-8 lead, Al Ittihad found themselves on the ropes.

The Egyptians chased the reigning champions for most of the rest of the game and trailed by as many as 25 points at times.

Despite Al Ittihad's defensive adjustments, Petro de Luanda's determination and collective effort proved too difficult to overcome.

Al Ittihad's three-point shots were nowhere to be found. They finished 5-for-26, while Petro de Luanda made 11 of their 27 three-point attempts.

Petro de Luanda stepped onto the floor with a new starting lineup for the third consecutive postseason game.

Petro de Luanda’s bench outscored Al Ittihad’s 60-35.

Petro de Luanda made defensive adjustments that worked to perfection, especially in the second quarter when they forced Al Ittihad to turn the ball over seven times. Al Ittihad eventually finished with 15 turnovers.

Majok Deng finished with a team-high 17 points. Reigning BAL MVP Jo Lual Acuil Jr. added 16 points for the Egyptian giants, who shot 15-for-24 from the free throw line.

Meanwhile, Petro de Luanda guard Kendrick Ray shot 6-for-8 from deep, leading all players with 21 points. Aboubacar Gakou added 17 points off the bench, and Patrick Gardner had a huge performance, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots.

How did Petro de Luanda pull off such an important win and become the first team to reach the BAL final three times?

"Our game against APR [which we lost 75-57] motivated us to be ready for the quarterfinals," Gardner revealed.

He went on to disclose Petro de Luanda’s secret: "The biggest word that we use as a team is 'sacrifice,' doing whatever is needed to win."

"Everyone on this team has been doing their job well. It’s great to come out with two wins.”

Al Ittihad Alexandria guard Youssef Shehata discussed the challenges his team faced against Petro de Luanda.

“They had a nice lead earlier, and we spent the rest of the game trying to catch up,” Shehata noted.

"We really hoped to finish undefeated and be the first team to do so. It didn't work out today, but I'm still proud of my teammates for how hard we fought and how we stuck together until the end."

Al Ittihad (8-1) will finish their 2025 BAL campaign on Friday against APR in the Third-Place Game.