HOW MANY QUARTERS IN BASKETBALL: A DETAILED GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

Quarters are often interchangeably used with periods, but how many quarters in basketball?

There are four quarters in a basketball match where. Each is comprised of 12 minutes in the National Basketball Association. The length of each quarter varies with the level of play. For instance, the quarter duration in high school basketball matches is lower than in professional basketball matches such as NBA and FIBA. Similarly, in WNBA, there are four quarters, and each quarter lasts for 10 minutes.

According to women’s NCAA basketball and International Basketball Federation (FIBA) tournaments, the duration of each quarter is 2 minutes less than in professional NBA games. In this article, we will learn how many quarters are in basketball and their time in different basketball leagues.

SO HOW MANY QUARTERS IN BASKETBALL ARE PLAYED?

Among all other basketball leagues, NBA is the most popular one, and there are four quarters in total; each quarter is composed of 12 minutes. This is the highest time duration in a quarter in all of the existing basketball leagues, including NCAA, FIBA, and High School basketball.

Remember that the actual duration of a quarter can be longer than 12 minutes due to various other unforeseeable factors that lead to the extension of a quarter time.

Each basketball game has three breaks, among which two are shorter, and one is longer. The time between 1st and 2nd quarters is specified for the first break that is counted as more transient. Furthermore, the second short break occurs between 3rd and 4th quarters. ‘

The more extended break in basketball games takes place between the 2nd and 3rd quarters and lasts 15 minutes. It is also called halftime when the game reaches halftime. On the contrary, short breaks last for 2 minutes, so there is not enough time for players to take a rest, unlike the more extended break. 

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL

How many quarters in basketball NCAA are played? In men’s and women’s basketball games at the college level, there are four quarters, each lasting for 10 minutes. A short break between the 1st and 2nd quarters of the match equals 130 seconds. Another quick break of the same duration takes place between the 3rd and 4th quarters. The more extended break of NCAA is 15 minutes which takes place between the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

Overtime of 5 minutes is allotted in case of a game-tie, and these overtimes are assigned until one of the two teams wins the match.

WNBA WOMEN’SWOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Another similar question here is how many quarters in basketball WNBA are played? Generally, there are four quarters, and each last for 10 minutes. Except for the time duration of the WNBA, all other elements are akin to NBA. For example, the two short and one longer breaks occur simultaneously in the NBA games. Moreover, there is only one thing in common between WNBA and NCAA: the length of the match, i.e., 40 minutes. 

Now that we learned how many quarters in basketball matches of NBA, NCAA, and WNBA are played, it’s time to know about the high school basketball games.

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HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL GAME

There are four quarters in high school basketball matches, and each quarter lasts 8 minutes. The total duration of the game is 32 minutes. Furthermore, extra time is given in case when a game ties. Additional time will be given for 5 minutes; if required, spare time can be offered again until one of them becomes the winner.

LONGEST NBA GAME

After learning about how many quarters in basketball, let’s know about the longest basketball match of all time.

The basketball game is a physically and mentally demanding sport. Yet, one basketball game is the longest game of all time. On January 6, 1951, the Rochester Royals vs. Indianapolis Olympians played a basketball game for six quarters. The Olympians won this record-breaking match with a score of 75-73.

Basketball matches can sometimes take longer than the predefined one as there are various factors responsible for that; for example, the game can take longer in case of an injury or tie.

Many such games have been played in the past that took more time than what was predefined. Another such match was played on November 9, 1989, between the Seattle Supersonics and the Milwaukee Bucks, where the latter were the winners with a score of 155-154.

Read this article: How long is a college basketball game?

CONCLUSION

Hopefully, you learned how many quarters in basketball. Generally, there are four quarters in basketball, and each quarter has a different purpose and time duration. The game ends when one of the two teams reaches the end of the 4th quarter with more points.

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