Nigeria’s U18 D’Tigress lost a second straight FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket final to Mali, falling 77-68 in Côte d’Ivoire on Sunday, www.aclsports.com reports.
At the Palais des Sports de Treichville, Mali took a 26-15 lead after the opening quarter. Nigeria responded in the second quarter, outscoring Mali 15-13 to reduce the deficit to nine points and trail 39-30 at half-time.
The Junior D’Tigress matched Mali 13-13 in the third quarter, with both teams scoring 25 points in the final period, leaving Mali to hold on for a 77-68 victory and their third consecutive title.
Favour Joy Anari was Nigeria’s standout performer with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Oluwatobiloba Owolabi added 19 points and Khadijah Alli contributed 13.
Peter Oluwaseun’s team struggled to convert their chances, making just 19 of 61 field-goal attempts and three of 21 from beyond the arc. Nigeria also had 33 turnovers, with Mali scoring 28 points from those possessions.
The defeat meant Nigeria missed out on a maiden title, while Favour Joy Anari was named among the tournament’s Star Five alongside Mali’s Couda Keita and Maimouna Traore, Cameroon’s Eveyline Toyounon and Egypt’s Hania Hassabelnaby.
Nigeria and Mali will represent Africa at the 2027 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, scheduled for 17 to 25 July 2027 in China.
