BAL 2026: RSSB Tigers to Face Al Ahly in Semi-Finals

RSSB Tigers and Al Ahly SC booked their places in the semi-finals of the 2026 Basketball Africa League playoffs after two fiercely contested quarter-final battles at BK Arena.

Despite suffering a narrow 99-98 defeat to Morocco’s FUS Rabat, the RSSB Tigers advanced to the last four thanks to their commanding aggregate advantage from the opening leg.

FUS Rabat entered the game needing a victory by at least 23 points to overturn the deficit, and for much of the first half they looked capable of producing one of the greatest comebacks in BAL history.

Led by the returning Will Perry, the Moroccan champions exploded offensively, raining down three-pointers and pushing the tempo at every opportunity.

Perry, who missed the first meeting between the two teams, transformed Rabat’s attack with his aggressive shot-making and creative play.

He finished with a season-high 29 points and 11 assists, shooting 5-for-10 from beyond the arc.

FUS Rabat surged to a 21-point lead in the opening half, silencing the packed BK Arena crowd and putting pressure on the Rwandan side.

But the Tigers, one of the most explosive offensive teams in the competition this season, responded behind another sensational performance from Craig Randall.

Randall once again proved why he is the BAL’s leading scorer, delivering 43 points in a breathtaking display.

The American guard knocked down nine three-pointers and attempted one-third of RSSB’s shots throughout the contest.

His most memorable moment came late in the fourth quarter when he bypassed an easy layup opportunity, stepped into the corner, and buried a clutch three-pointer to give RSSB a 98-97 lead.

However, FUS Rabat refused to go quietly.

Mouhamadou Diagne, who posted 17 points and nine rebounds, calmly converted two decisive free throws in the closing moments to secure a consolation victory for the Moroccan side. Ilias Aqboub also added 17 points in a spirited team effort.

Although the one-point win ended Rabat’s BAL campaign, the performance restored pride after their heavy defeat earlier in the series.

Head coach Abdelkarim El Haoua praised his players’ resilience, insisting the team had shown the continent what FUS Rabat is capable of despite missing key players through health issues.

For RSSB Tigers, attention now shifts to a blockbuster semi-final showdown against Egypt’s Al Ahly SC.

Earlier in the evening, Al Ahly SC became the first team to reach the semi-finals after defeating Senegal’s ASC Ville de Dakar 87-76.

The Egyptian champions entered the game needing to erase a three-point deficit from the first leg and produced a dominant second-half display to keep their title ambitions alive.

Nuni Omot and Zack Lofton carried the offensive load for Al Ahly, combining for 43 points.

Omot led all scorers with 24 points, including 11 crucial points in the fourth quarter, while Lofton added valuable scoring throughout the contest.

Amr Zahran and Osayi Osifo chipped in with 14 and 13 points respectively.

ASC Ville de Dakar looked poised to advance after leading for long stretches of the second half, but the game shifted dramatically in the closing minutes.

A decisive 13-7 run from Al Ahly, combined with mounting foul trouble and an apparent injury to captain Axel Toupane, proved too much for the Senegalese champions to overcome.

Toupane finished with 16 points before limping off with a leg injury late in the fourth quarter, while Dakar’s dream of becoming the second Senegalese semi-finalist since 2023 came to an end.

The semi-final clash between RSSB Tigers and Al Ahly SC will take place on Wednesday, 27 May, in Kigali.