Pretoria, South Africa – June 4, 2025 : The 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Playoffs officially tipped off in electrifying fashion at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, as Kriol Star of Cape Verde edged FUS Rabat Basketball of Morocco in a thrilling 91–88 showdown to open the postseason. Joel Ntambwe led Kriol Star with a team-high 22 points, while veteran forward Ivan Almeida delivered a spectacular triple-double performance, contributing 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Jalan McCloud also made a key impact with 21 points. Despite a valiant effort from FUS Rabat, highlighted by Yacine Baeri’s team-high 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, the Moroccan side came up just short in the final seconds. In the night’s second matchup, two previously unbeaten teams clashed as Al Ittihad of Egypt handed Al Ahli Tripoli of Libya their first defeat of the season with an 85–74 victory. Majok Deng led Al Ittihad with 19 points, while Lual Acuil dominated the paint with a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds. For Al Ahli Tripoli, Fabian White Jr. posted a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds. Teammates Jean Jacques Boissy and Naseim Badrush added 17 and 16 points respectively in a strong but ultimately insufficient effort. The results from tonight’s seeding games have set the stage for high-stakes quarterfinal matchups on Sunday. Al Ahli Tripoli will face Kriol Star at 4 p.m. CAT in a do-or-die clash, while Al Ittihad takes on FUS Rabat at 7 p.m. CAT. Seeding games continue tomorrow, with defending champions Petro de Luanda (Angola) set to face APR (Rwanda) at 4 p.m., followed by a marquee showdown between 2022 BAL champions US Monastir (Tunisia) and last year’s semifinalists Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) at 7 p.m. CAT. Now in its fifth season, the BAL is being broadcast to fans in 214 countries and territories across 17 languages through a mix of free-to-air and paid TV platforms, including Canal+, ESPN, FIBA’s Courtside 1891, and livestreams on the NBA App, NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com, and the BAL’s official YouTube channel. The action continues as the continent’s elite basketball clubs battle for supremacy and a shot at BAL glory.
BAL Playoffs Tip Off with Thrilling Matchups in Pretoria
