Nigeria U18 D’Tigress defeated Tunisia, while the U18 D’Tigers fell to Egypt as the 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket Championship tipped off in Côte d’Ivoire on Wednesday, www.aclsports.com reports.
The U18 D’Tigress secured a hard-fought 54-50 win against Tunisia in their Group C opener at the Salle Polyvalente in Treichville.
Nigeria trailed 15-13 after the opening quarter but responded with a 14-10 second-quarter performance to take a narrow 27-25 lead into the break. Tunisia regained the advantage after outscoring Nigeria 19-16 in the third quarter, setting up a tense finish.
However, the U18 D’Tigress finished strongly, restricting Tunisia to just six points in the final quarter while scoring 11 to claim the opening-day victory.
Favour Joy Anari led the Nigerian charge with a game-high 14 points, adding nine rebounds, five assists and six steals. Khadijah Alli added nine points, while Bisola Arowolo scored eight points. Nimah Ibidunni also contributed seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
Despite shooting just 23.8 per cent from the field, Nigeria dominated the boards with 52 rebounds to Tunisia’s 48 and forced 33 turnovers, converting them into 20 points.
Meanwhile, the U18 D’Tigers suffered a 95-68 defeat to Egypt in their Group A opener at the Palais des Sports de Treichville.
Egypt set the tone early with a 32-23 first-quarter advantage before extending their lead to 56-43 at half-time. The North Africans remained in control throughout the second half, winning the third quarter 23-12 before sealing a comfortable 27-point victory.
Victor Emeka Nwafor led Nigeria’s scoring with 16 points, while Victor Endurance Sunday contributed 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Isaiah John also finished in double figures with 14 points.
Egypt’s balanced attack proved decisive, with six players scoring in double figures. Seifalla Ahmed emerged as the standout performer, recording 16 points and seven rebounds while posting a game-high efficiency rating of 18. Rami Magdy added 17 points as Egypt controlled proceedings at both ends of the floor.
The Egyptians outrebounded Nigeria 52-42, finished with 29 assists to Nigeria’s 12 and received 50 points from their bench compared to Nigeria’s 14.
Both Nigerian teams will return to action on August 7, with the U18 D’Tigress facing Cameroon in Group C, while the U18 D’Tigers will look to bounce back against Chad in Group A.
