Sahara Conference: BAL Newcomer Ville de Dakar Stuns Defending Champions Petro de Luanda

April 30, 2025 stocks24

Dakar – Makhtar Gueye posted 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Abdoulaye Harouna added 15 points and Ater Majok contributed 14 points along with six rebounds, leading BAL newcomers Ville de Dakar (Senegal) (www.BAL.NBA.com) to a remarkable victory over the defending champion Petro de Luanda (Angola) at Dakar Arena, narrowly winning their first encounter in the tournament 65-64.

This victory marks ASC Ville de Dakar’s second win over a BAL champion and their second success in this year’s Sahara Conference, following a 70-67 triumph against U.S. Monastir on the opening night on Saturday.

Ville de Dakar almost let their morale-boosting win slip away after committing consecutive eight-second violations in the final moments, but Petro de Luanda was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

Patrick Hardy Jr. #10 of U.S. Monastir making a three-point shot during the game against Kriol Star Basketball in the Sahara Conference on 29 April 2025 at Dakar Arena in Diamniadio, Senegal. (Credit: Photo by Armand Lenoir, BAL/Getty Images – Source: Basketball Africa League)

Patrick Gardner led Petro with 19 points and nine rebounds.

In an earlier match yesterday, 2022 BAL champion U.S. Monastir (Tunisia) secured a win against Kriol Star (Cape Verde) with a score of 88-72.

Monastir achieved a shooting percentage of 47.8 percent in the game.

They were powered by Patrick Hardy Jr. (19 points and five assists) and Firas Lahyani (15 points and eight rebounds).

Ivan Almeida led Kriol Star with a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Patrick McGlynn contributed 18 points.

The BAL Sahara Conference group phase will continue on Thursday, (1 May 2025), with Petro de Luanda facing U.S. Monastir at 2:30 p.m. GMT (4:30 p.m. CAT) and ASC Ville de Dakar taking on Kriol Star at 5:30 p.m. GMT (7:30 p.m. CAT) on Canal+, ESPN, FIBA’s digital platform Courtside 1891, and streaming on the NBA App (http://apo-opa.co/4juT5vb), NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com, and the BAL’s YouTube channel (http://apo-opa.co/3EEzUjz).