Forty minutes of game clock, split into four 10 minute quarters. In real time a FIBA game usually runs about an hour and 45 minutes to two hours with stoppages, halftime and television breaks. Overtime periods are five minutes each.
| Level | Structure | Total clock | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIBA | Four 10 minute quarters | 40 minutes | 5 minutes |
| WNBA | Two 20 minute halves | 40 minutes | 5 minutes |
| NBA | Four 12 minute quarters | 48 minutes | 5 minutes |
| NCAA women | Four 10 minute quarters | 40 minutes | 5 minutes |
Same 40 Minutes, Different Shape
FIBA and the WNBA both play 40 minutes, but they carve it up differently. FIBA uses four quarters, the WNBA uses two halves. That matters more than it sounds, because team fouls reset by period. Four quarters means four separate bonus counts, so foul trouble accumulates in shorter bursts and the penalty situation resets more often.
What Stretches the Real Running Time
The clock stops on every whistle, so 40 minutes of play becomes closer to two hours. The main additions are a 15 minute halftime, timeouts of 60 seconds each, with two available in the first half and three in the second, and television breaks in major tournaments.
Knockout games tend to run longest. Teams save timeouts for the final two minutes, where a maximum of two can be called, and that stretch alone can take 15 minutes of real time.
The Bottom Line
Forty minutes of clock, four 10 minute quarters, five minute overtimes, and roughly two hours from tip to final buzzer.