2024 BAL playoffs

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2024 BAL Playoffs
Tournament details
CountryRwanda
CityKigali
Venue(s)BK Arena
Dates24 May – 1 June 2024
Teams8
Tournament statistics
Matches played12
← 2023
2025 →

The 2024 BAL playoffs will be the postseason tournament of the 2024 BAL season to determine the champions of the 4th Basketball Africa League (BAL) season. The playoffs will begin on 24 May 2024 with the seeding games and finish on 1 June 2024 with the final.[1] For a fourth consecutive season, the playoffs will be hosted in the BK Arena in Kigali.[2]

It is the first playoff season that includes the seeding games to determine the final match-ups.

Qualified teams[edit]

Al Ahly Ly, FUS Rabat and Rivers Hoopers made their playoff debuts. Al Ahly Ly and Rivers Hoopers were the first teams from Libya and Nigeria respectively, to play in the BAL playoffs.

Team Conference Record Clinched Playoff
appearance
Playoff berth Best record

in conference

Morocco FUS Rabat Kalahari 3–1 17 March[3] 17 March[4] 1st
Angola Petro de Luanda Kalahari 2–2 17 March[5] — 4th
Egypt Al Ahly Nile 5–1 26 April[6] 27 April[7] 2nd
Libya Al Ahly Ly Nile 3–3 27 April[8] — 1st
South Africa Cape Town Tigers Kalahari 1–3 27 April[7] — 3rd
Nigeria Rivers Hoopers Sahara 4–2 11 May[9] 11 May[9] 1st
Tunisia US Monastir Sahara 3–3 12 May[10] — 3rd
Senegal AS Douanes Sahara 3–3 12 May[11] — 3rd

Seeding games[edit]

Pre-seeding games ranking[edit]

To determine the match-ups the eight teams were ranked based on their performance across conference play. In accordance with FIBA regulations, only games between the three-highest ranked were used for the ranking.

Pos Team Pld W L GF GA GD PCT Qualification
1 Egypt Al Ahly 4 4 0 363 313 +50 1.000 Qualification to 1st-2nd seed game
2 Morocco FUS Rabat 4 3 1 363 295 +68 .750
3 Nigeria Rivers Hoopers 4 2 2 277 260 +17 .500 Qualification to 3rd-4th seed game
4 Senegal AS Douanes 4 2 2 269 265 +4 .500
5 Angola Petro de Luanda 4 2 2 360 340 +20 .500 Qualification to 5th-6th seed game
6 Tunisia US Monastir 4 2 2 270 291 −21 .500
7 Libya Al Ahly Ly 4 1 3 348 352 −4 .250 Qualification to 7th-8th seed game
8 South Africa Cape Town Tigers 4 1 3 305 346 −41 .250
Source: BAL
Rules for classification: Teams ranked on 1) Win-loss record; 2) Head-to-head record; 3) Point differential in the games between the respective teams; 4) Number of points scored in the games between the respective teams; 5) Average point differential in all games against other teams in the Conference; 6) Average number of points scored in all games played against other teams in the Conference; 7) Drawing.

7th-8th seed game[edit]

In the opener of the playoffs, Al Ahly Ly comfortably defeated the Cape Town Tigers in the first competitive match-up between the two teams. The first 15 points in the game were scored from three-point range. Trae Golden, who joined Al Ahly six days before the game as a replacement for Pierre Jackson, scored 21 points including five three-pointers.[12] Tigers debutant Dhieu Deing led their losing effort with 21 points.[12] Al Ahly Ly outrebounded Cape Town 53 to 36.[12]

24 May 2024
5:00 PM
Al Ahly Ly Libya 87–67 South Africa Cape Town Tigers
Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 26–16, 25–17, 15–18
Pts: Golden 21
Rebs: Lual-Acuil 8
Asts: Golden 9		 Pts: Deing 21
Rebs: Sibanyoni 12
Asts: Cele, Diarra 5
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
Attendance: 3,032
Referees: Pat O'Connell, Kingsley Ojeaburu, Annie Joyce Muchenu

1st-2nd seed game[edit]

FUS Rabat defeated the defending champions Al Ahly, despite trailing by eight points (49–41) at halftime. Rabat used a 10–0 run to begin the fourth quarter to pull ahead. Aliou Diarra had his third double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds.[13]

24 May 2024
8:00 PM
Al Ahly Egypt 78–89 Morocco FUS Rabat
Scoring by quarter: 19–22, 30–19, 15–17, 14–31
Pts: Lyons 21
Rebs: Mitchell 9
Asts: Gendy 5		 Pts: Diarra 21
Rebs: Diarra 10
Asts: Brown 5
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
Attendance: 7,154
Referees: Julian Scott, Yann Vezo Davidson, Jean Sauveur Ruhamiriza

4th-5th seed game[edit]

Petro de Luanda led the game by eight points going into the final five minutes, however, Monastir was able to use a 10–0 run to get ahead. With a tied game, Firas Lahyani scored a buzzer-beating game winner to give Monastir the win.[14] Petro's Nick Faust made his debut with the team and led them with 12 points in the game.[14]

25 May 2024
2:30 PM
Petro de Luanda Angola 67–70 Tunisia US Monastir
Scoring by quarter: 13–16, 25–17, 16–19, 13–18
Pts: Faust 12
Rebs: Gakou 8
Asts: Gonçalves 7		 Pts: Lahyani 19
Rebs: Lahyani 9
Asts: Crawford 11
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
Attendance: 2,663
Referees: Chelisa Painter, Mbaye Seye, Kalume Tonton Banza

3rd-6th seed game[edit]

AS Douanes dominated the first three quarters of the game, and was up by 22 points in the third quarter. Rivers Hoopers coach Ogoh Odaudu benched his starting five in the final quarter, and the Hoopers were able to have a 14–0 run to limit the loss margin to six points.[15]

25 May 2024
5:30 PM
Rivers Hoopers Nigeria 57–63 Senegal AS Douanes
Scoring by quarter: 9–22, 14–15, 5–13, 29–13
Pts: Ike 11
Rebs: Olisemeka 13
Asts: Amayo 7		 Pts: Harouna 16
Rebs: Akec, Fofana 7
Asts: Akec 4
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
Attendance: 5,992
Referees: Hortensia Sanchez-Carrizales, Wael Ibrahim Mostafa, Amir Taboubi

Bracket[edit]

The rounds are all played in a single-elimination format.

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
1 Morocco FUS Rabat 88
8 South Africa Cape Town Tigers (OT) 91
8 South Africa Cape Town Tigers 86
6 Angola Petro de Luanda (OT) 96
3 Senegal AS Douanes 65
6 Angola Petro de Luanda 66
6 Angola Petro de Luanda
7 Libya Al Ahly Ly
2 Egypt Al Ahly 77
7 Libya Al Ahly Ly 86
7 Libya Al Ahly Ly (OT) 89 Third place game
4 Nigeria Rivers Hoopers 83
4 Nigeria Rivers Hoopers 92 4 Nigeria Rivers Hoopers
5 Tunisia US Monastir 88 8 South Africa Cape Town Tigers

Quarterfinals[edit]

(2) Al Ahly vs. (7) Al Ahly Ly[edit]

Al Ahly Ly, who were missing Kevin Murphy, shot 0–4 from long range in the opening quarter and early in the second quarter Al Ahly was up by points. The Libyans, however, went into halftime up by two (36–38) following two Trae Golden threes. Al Ahly Ly managed to pull away in the third quarter and hang on to their lead to defeat the defending champions. Majok Deng contributed 25 points and 9 rebounds, Jo Lual-Acuil had his fourth double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Golden had 23 points and 9 assists. The loss was Al Ahly's largest loss in BAL history.[16]

26 May 2024
2:30 PM
Al Ahly Egypt 77–86 Libya Al Ahly Ly
Scoring by quarter: 14–15, 22–23, 13–17, 28–31
Pts: Mitchell 17
Rebs: Oraby 6
Asts: Lyons 10		 Pts: Deng 25
Rebs: Lual-Acuil 11
Asts: Golden 10
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
Attendance: 2,775
Referees: Julian Scott, Jean Sauveur Ruhamiriza, Amir Taboubi

(1) FUS Rabat vs. (8) Cape Town Tigers[edit]

The two teams met again after facing each other in the Kalahari Conference, in which FUS Rabat won the series 2–0.[17] Ngor Manyang hit a corner three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Tigers a three-point lead going into halftime. With 54 seconds in the game, FUS forward Baeri hit a three-pointer to cut the Tigers' lead to two points at 78–80. Then, Abdelhakim Zouita hit a jump hook to tie the game at 80–80 with 26 seconds remaining. Down three points, Samkelo Cele grabbed the rebound and scored a pull-up three point jumper to send the game to overtime. With the score at 88–90 for the Tigers, Mohamed Sylla went up for the dunk with 9.5 seconds remaining, but was blocked at the rim by Cele. At the free throw line, Cele expanded the lead to three points and John Jordan missed a three-pointer at half court to finish the game. Samkelo Cele finished with a game-high 30 points and 9 rebounds, while Nkosinathi Sibanyoni added 16 points and 25 rebounds, setting a new all-time BAL record for most rebounds in a single game. On FUS Rabat's side, Aliou Diarra had 18 points and 16 rebounds, while BAL Elevate player Mohamed Sylla had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks for the losing side.[17]

The Tigers reached their first semi-finals after three failed attempts, becoming the first South African side to achieve this feat.[17]

26 May 2024
5:30 PM
FUS Rabat Morocco 88–91 (OT) South Africa Cape Town Tigers
Scoring by quarter: 17–15, 24–29, 18–19, 24–20, Overtime: 5–8
Pts: Diarra 18
Rebs: Diarra 16
Asts: Jordan 7		 Pts: Cele 30
Rebs: Sibanyoni 25
Asts: Diarra 8
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
Attendance: 6,279
Referees: Pat O'Connell, Aboolo Amr, Monicca Nassuunav

(4) Rivers Hoopers vs. (5) US Monastir[edit]

Will Perry scored 33 points on 9-from-15 shooting and Devine Eke recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds to help the Rivers Hoopers eliminate the former BAL champions US Monastir. The Hoopers trailed by one point in the first quarter, but from there never trailed again in the game and at one point they led by 12 points. Monastir was able to cut the league to five points with a Sadio Doucouré three with 20 seconds remaining, and a three-point game after George Williams hit another three-pointer. The Hoopers reached the semi-finals for the first time and were the first Nigerian team to qualify past the quarter-finals.[18]

27 May 2024
5:00 PM
Rivers Hoopers Nigeria 92–88 Tunisia US Monastir
Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 25–19, 23–22, 24–26
Pts: Perry 33
Rebs: Eke 12
Asts: Amayo 11		 Pts: Crawford 31
Rebs: Majok 7
Asts: Crawford 10
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
Attendance: 3,032
Referees: Chelisa Painter, Wael Ibrahim Mostafa, Aboolo Amr

(3) AS Douanes vs. (6) Petro de Luanda[edit]

In a rematch of the 2023 semifinals, Petro de Luanda and AS Douanes faced off in the final quarter-final game. Douanes pulled away in the third quarter behind three-pointers and a lay-up by Jean Jacques Boissy, followed by a three by Abdoulaye Harouna to close off the quarter with a 14 point lead. In the fourth quarter, Petro rallied back and Nick Faust hit a lay-up to cut the lead to three with 1:10 to go in the game. Then, Faust hit a off the dribble corner three to tie the game with just 38.5 seconds remaining. Douanes then hit a free throw to gain a one point lead, however, Harouna lost the ball while bringing up the ball which opened up the court for Petro on a last possession. Gerson Gonçalves picked up the ball at half court and passed to Faust who hit a wide-open lay-up with eight points left that sealed the game. Faust finished with a team-high 13 points for Petro.[19]

27 May 2024
8:00 PM
AS Douanes Senegal 65–66 Angola Petro de Luanda
Scoring by quarter: 8–13, 17–15, 31–14, 9–24
Pts: Boissy 28
Rebs: Akec, Diakhite 9
Asts: Harouna 5		 Pts: Faust 13
Rebs: Moreira 9
Asts: Buiamba 5
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
Attendance: 5,470
Referees: Hortensia Sanchez-Carrizales, Kingsley Ojeaburu, Monicca Nassuuna

Semifinals[edit]

Three teams played in their first-ever BAL semifinals, while Petro de Luanda became the first team to qualify for four semifinals in a row.[20]

(4) Rivers Hoopers vs. (7) Al Ahly Ly[edit]

Jo Lual-Acuil led the way for Al Ahly Ly with 27 points and 7 rebounds, while Trae Golden added 20 points, to defeat the Rivers Hoopers in overtime in the first semifinal. The Libyans led by as much as 16 points in the second quarter, but saw the Hoopers take the lead for the majority of the fourth quarter. Al Ahly Ly turned the ball over 23 times and hit only 2 out of 18 three-pointers, however, the Hoopers struggled to convert on free throws (9-for-20) to take advantage. Devine Eke had 25 points and 12 rebounds; Kelvin Amayo had 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Hoopers' losing effort. Al Ahly Ly qualified for the finals in its debut season.[21]

29 May 2024
5:00 PM
Rivers Hoopers Nigeria 83–89 (OT) Libya Al Ahly Ly
Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 16–21, 23–8, 13–70, Overtime: 10–16
Pts: Amayo 26
Rebs: Amayo 15
Asts: Amayo 6		 Pts: Lual-Acuil 27
Rebs: Deng 13
Asts: Golden 5
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
Attendance: 4,037
Referees: Chelisa Painter, Yann Vezo Davidson, Mbaye Seye

(8) Cape Town Tigers vs. (6) Petro de Luanda[edit]

Petro de Luanda tied a season record with 15 three-pointers to beat the Cape Town Tigers after overtime. In the final minutes, Petro de Luanda was able to create a gap after Nick Faust was fouled on a three point attempt and hit three straight free throws. Petro's Yanick Moreira fouled Nkosinathi Sibanyoni on his defensive rebound which brought him to the free throw line with 2.5 seconds to go. Sibanyoni hit the first free throw to cut the lead to two and, subsequently, he missed the second free throw, however, Samkelo Cele was able to grab the offensive rebound and was fouled by Castro on the lay-up attempt. Cele went on to hit two clutch free throws to tie the game. Gerson Gonçalves missed a long shot which sent the game to overtime. Petro started the overtime with an 8–0 run and behind Jone Pedro who scored four points and had three blocks in the extra period, they managed to hold on to the lead.[22] Faust led Petro with a game-high 23 points, while the team's bench contributed 57 points, outscoring the Tigers bench by a wide margin. For the losing side, Cele had 19 points.[22]

29 May 2024
8:00 PM
Petro de Luanda Angola 96–86 (OT) South Africa Cape Town Tigers
Scoring by quarter: 15–16, 28–21, 23–18, 11–22, Overtime: 19–9
Pts: Faust 23
Rebs: Moreira 14
Asts: Dundão 7		 Pts: Cele 19
Rebs: Sibanyoni 13
Asts: Diarra 6
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
Attendance: 6,072
Referees: Pat O'Connell, Kalume Tonton Banza, Annie Joyce Muchenu

Third place game[edit]

31 May 2024
8:00 PM
Rivers Hoopers Nigeria  vs. South Africa Cape Town Tigers
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda

Final[edit]

Main article: 2024 BAL final
1 June 2024
4:00 PM
Petro de Luanda Angola  vs. Libya Al Ahly Ly
BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda

References[edit]

  1. ^ "BAL Expands to South Africa for Fourth Season tipping off in March 2024". The BAL. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Basketball Africa League and Rwanda Development Board announce multi-year extension to play BAL games in Kigali". NBA.com: NBA Communications. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Rabat beat Cape Town to qualify for BAL playoffs". ESPN.com. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  4. ^ "FUS Rabat are the 2024 Kalahari Conference champions". The BAL. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  5. ^ "BAL 2024 - Conference Kalahari: Petro Luanda and Fus de Rabat qualify for the playoffs". Sport News Africa. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Al Ahly SC limit Murphy to just one point, clinch playoff spot". The BAL. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Al Alhy SC are the winners of the 2024 Nile Conference". The BAL. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  8. ^ "What's at stake on the last day of the 2024 Nile Conference?". The BAL. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Rivers Hoopers clinch playoffs spot in first BAL double-overtime game". The BAL. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  10. ^ ""Togetherness won us the playoffs ticket," says Firas Lahyani". The BAL. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  11. ^ "AS Douanes punch last playoffs ticket in front of a rowdy home crowd". The BAL. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Robert Golden's five three-pointers sink Cape Town in the opener of the 2024 BAL Playoffs". The BAL. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  13. ^ "BAL debutant FUS Rabat stun defending champions Al Ahly SC". The BAL. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Lahyani's game-winning buzzer beater confirms US Monastir's revival". The BAL. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  15. ^ "Rivers Hoopers' bench avoids blowout loss to AS Douanes". The BAL. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  16. ^ "The BAL throne is vacant as Al Ahly Ly eliminate reigning champions Al Ahly SC". The BAL. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  17. ^ a b c "Cape Town Tigers stun top-seeded FUS Rabat in biggest achievement for South African basketball". The BAL. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  18. ^ "A dream come true for Rivers Hoopers". The BAL. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Faust sends Petro de Luanda to the 2024 BAL Semifinals". The BAL. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Meet the 2024 BAL semi-finalists". The BAL. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Al Ahly Ly are one win away from the 2024 BAL title". The BAL. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Petro see off resilient Cape Town Tigers in overtime to return to the BAL Final". The BAL. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
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