May 25, 2026
Petro de Luanda are back in the semis for the sixth time in a row
)
Petro de Luanda overturned an eight-point deficit from the first round of the quarterfinal, beating Dar City 83-69 to advance to the BAL semifinals for the sixth time in a row.
The 2024 BAL champions took to the court with determination, leading by 10 points at the end of the opening quarter (26–16) and never looking back.
Even when Dar City scored 10 points in an attempt to minimise the damage, Petro de Luanda maintained their momentum, leading by as many as 20 points at one stage in the game.
Chasson Randle led Petro de Luanda's scoring with 20 points, while Yanick Moreira added 16 points off the bench to keep the Angolan champions in the running for this season's BAL title.
Randle scored his first nine points from behind arc, paving the way for Petro's sixth win of the season.
“[Chasson Randle] He really stepped up for,” said Raphiael Putney who helped Petro with his seven points off the bench.
“We put so much effort into defence,” Putney explained while detailing how they lost by points (88-82) to Dar City in the last game. “We let up in the final three minutes, which cost us the game. Tonight, however, we came out stronger and secured the win.”
Meanwhile, Dar City's season came to an end.
Petro de Luanda will face Al Ahly in the semifinals in a rematch of the 2024 BAL Final.
Daniel Utomi, Nisre Zouzoua and Michael Foster – the only Dar City players to score in double digits – spent over 39 minutes on the court each, combining for 52 of their team’s 69 points.
David Michineau punished the Petroliers’ defence with 12 points and eight assists in the first round, but he limped off the court in the second quarter and never returned due to a reported hamstring injury.
Reflecting Dar City’s struggles, their bench was outscored 51–16.
In contrast, Petro de Luanda rotated their players and led from the outset, maintaining complete control of their destiny.
Pete Jok gave Petro a huge boost, scoring all 15 of his points from beyond the arc on 5-for-9 shooting.
WHAT THEY SAID
“I am grateful to be representing our country. This means a lot to us. We can take what we have learnt from this BAL experience back with us. Reaching the quarterfinals and competing as we did shows that we have potential.”
“Our mindset coming into this game was to compete throughout, make it to the final, and win the BAL. A lack of experience at this level hurt us. Next time we join the BAL, we'll be much stronger.”
“We weren’t prepared to be twenty points down at any point during the game, but these things happen.”
Raphiael Putney (Petro de Luanda)
“Coming into this game, I was focused on doing whatever the coach asked of me: scoring, helping, defending and being agile. I can make a difference in my role in the team.”
“We have great team chemistry. For me, joining Petro is a blessing. I will always be ready to do whatever I can to help the team win. We just need to maintain our momentum and continue to play strong defence.”
“The target is to win the semis and move to the finals.”
BAL