LUSAKA (Zambia) - Host club Matero Magic revived their hopes of reaching the Elite 16 with a hard-fought overtime win.
Meanwhile, Ferroviario da Beira and Johannesburg Giants demonstrated their dominance in Group E of the 2026 Road to BAL by securing their third consecutive victories.
FIBA.basketball looks back at Game Day 3 in Lusaka.
Matero digs deep to clinch overtime victory
In an epic thriller, hosts Matero, who had trailed for most of the game, had to catch up with the Basket Hounds in the fourth quarter and required an extra five minutes to secure their second Group E win.
Following their loss to Ferroviario da Beira on Wednesday, the Magic's 102-97 win over the Hounds comes as a reprieve.
Trailing by 10 points (78–68) midway through the fourth quarter, the Tamanga Boys staged a comeback to send the game into overtime at 84–84, ultimately clinching a famous victory.
Magic captain Chongo Chona led from the front heroically with a double-double (28 points and 10 rebounds) and recorded five steals. Elijah Mukalebai (27 points), Corey Boyd (17 points and 12 rebounds), and Jacob Mushinge (11 points) all followed Chona's lead as Matero dominated the night.
Kamani Maurice scored a team-high 28 points for the Hounds, while point guard Tanaka Ndyara contributed 20.
Screechy Beira hold for third win
Ferroviario da Beira reached the 90-point mark for the third consecutive time after a hard-fought game against the Bravehearts, who kept them on their toes until the very end.
The Mozambicans, who won with a final score of 94–88, squandered a 22-point lead (70–48) built late in the third quarter.
Ayad Munguambe has been the star player for the Beira-based team in the ongoing tournament, and his double-double (18 points and 12 rebounds) has put Locomotivas on 3-0 mark and in a strong position to secure a place in the Elite 16.
Contributing to Beira's success were Ketarrious Bouchum with 14 points, and Hilario Malale and Joshua Thomas with 13 points each.
Meanwhile, American Kirk Smith's game-high 31 points and 10 rebounds were not enough to turn the tide for the Bravehearts.
Ian Limbe (18 points), Faad Billy (14 points) and Milton Caifaz (11 points) also scored in double figures in an attempt to help the Malawian club stage a comeback.
Munguambe led Beira in scoring with 12 points in the first half.
The forward made 4 out of 8 attempts in the first half, scoring 2 out of 6 in the paint and going 2 out of 2 from the three-point line.
Bravehearts had Smith, who scored 19 points in the first half, making 7/10 attempts.
Beira finished the first half on top (55–40). The Bravehearts, who scored a late flurry of points in the third quarter, cut the lead to 12 (73–61). In the fourth quarter, they came close, but it was not enough as Beira survived the onslaught.
Giants too slick for Dolphins
Nino Dim's 14 points and eight defensive rebounds led the Johannesburg Giants to a 55-36 win over the Dolphins, giving the South African team a 3-0 record.
Dim was the only Giants player to score in double figures.
The Giants sprinted to an 18-3 lead in the first quarter, with standout features including Prinsloo's two successful three-point shots out of three attempts. The Dolphins looked overmatched and could only manage to cut the lead to ten (24–14) in the second quarter.
The Giants' strong defensive rebounding (22) was key, allowing them to score at the offensive end and helping the South African team to finish the first half 34-19 up.
The Giants never looked in danger of relinquishing their lead in the second half, even when the Dolphins outscored them 11–9 (45–32).
The South African side's defence was less charitable in the fourth quarter, restricting their neighbours from Botswana to just four points as they coasted to a 19-point victory.
Group E Standings after Game-day 3 in Lusaka (October 30)
Ferroviario da Beira (3-0) Johannesburg Giants (3-0) Matero Magic (2-1) Bravehearts (1-2) Dolphins (0-3) Hounds (0-3)
FIBA