Mali Defeats Nigeria in FIBA U-18 Women Afrobasket Final
Mali overcame the junior D’Tigress of Nigeria in an entertaing FIBA U-18 Women’s Afrobasket final on Saturday.
D’Tigress went down 76-56 on the night to their fierce opponents.
The victory now means that Mali have claimed the title for a record nine times.
The encounter clearly had Mali as the favourites, eventually winning all four quarters of the game.
Mali claimed the first quarter 11-8; the second 18-15, the third 24-19, and the fourth with a 23-14 seal.
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The junior D’Tigress still qualified for the FIBA U-19 Women’s World Cup next year despite losing the final.
Mali’s Oummou Koumare claimed the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
She amassed 31 points, four rebounds, and five steals on the night.
The Nigerians were given a consolation when their guard, Idubamo Beggi, earned a place in the tournament’s All-Star team.
Beggi was an essential part of the Nigerian team’s run, scoring 109 points across six games in the tournament.
