Nigeria U18 D’Tigress advanced to the knockout stage with a 70-40 victory over Senegal, while D’Tigers finished the group phase winless after a 77-68 defeat to hosts Côte d’Ivoire at the 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket Championship, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Junior D’Tigress wrapped up the group stage on a positive note, bouncing back from their narrow overtime loss to Cameroon to claim their second win of the tournament.
Nigeria took control of proceedings from the opening quarter, restricting Senegal to just four points in the first 10 minutes before extending their advantage to 45-18 at halftime. Although Senegal showed greater resistance after the break, the Nigerians remained comfortably ahead throughout the contest.
Oluwatobiloba Owolabi led the scoring with 13 points, while Edore Pela contributed 11. Favour Joy Anari and Bisola Arowolo also finished in double figures with 10 points each.
The Junior D’Tigress forced 34 turnovers and won the rebounding battle 53-45. Zainab Adelaja recorded nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds as Nigeria closed out the group phase with a 2-1 record.
For the Junior D’Tigers, their final Group A fixture ended in a third successive defeat as unbeaten hosts Côte d’Ivoire claimed a 77-68 victory.
Nigeria made the stronger start and held a 21-17 lead after the opening quarter, but Côte d’Ivoire responded before the interval to move ahead. The hosts maintained their advantage through the second half to preserve their perfect record and secure first place in the group.
Victor Endurance Sunday led the Junior D’Tigers with 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Isaiah John added 14 points, while Olakunle Aribo and Emmanuel Oshiobugie Idornigie contributed 13 and 10 points respectively.
Nathan Djako produced the standout performance for Côte d’Ivoire with a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds as the hosts completed the group phase with three wins from three matches.
The defeat left the Junior D’Tigers without a win from their three group games against Egypt, Chad and Côte d’Ivoire. They will now compete in the 9th-12th classification games, while the Junior D’Tigress continue their campaign in the knockout rounds.
