Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress have secured a spot in the semifinals of the 2024 Afrobasket U-18 Women’s Championship in Pretoria, South Africa.
On Wednesday night, the Junior D’Tigress defeated their North African rivals 66-51. Nigeria led from the start, winning the first quarter 24-13 and maintaining their advantage with a halftime score of 37-23. Despite Egypt’s attempts to close the gap, they could not overcome the deficit.
This victory was particularly sweet for Nigeria as it avenged their earlier loss to Egypt, who had won their initial matchup 72-60 but were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
In other quarterfinal action, Mali defeated Rwanda. Mali took control early, winning the first two quarters 19-11 and 25-15, leading 44-26 at halftime. They continued their dominance in the second half, winning the third quarter 21-20 and the final quarter 21-11 to secure their place in the semifinals.
Mali’s Mama Sidiki Doumbia led her team with 21 points, while Oumou Koumare and Maimouna Traore contributed 16 and 14 points, respectively. Despite the loss, Rwanda’s Brigitte Nibishaka scored 16 points, with Vanessa Camara adding 14 points.
In the upcoming semifinals, Nigeria will face Uganda on Friday, while Cameroon will play against Mali. Rwanda will compete in a classification game for 5th to 8th positions.
In the men’s category, Rwanda will face Cameroon in the quarterfinals. Rwanda and Mali, the only undefeated teams in the group stage, topped Groups A and C with perfect 3-0 records.
