Nigeria’s J’Tigress have punched their ticket to the semifinals of the 2024 Afrobasket U-18 Women’s Championship in Pretoria, South Africa. The Nigerian team delivered a commanding performance on Wednesday night, defeating Egypt 66-51.
From the outset, the J’Tigress took control, winning the first quarter 24-13 and leading 37-23 at halftime. Despite Egypt’s attempts to close the gap, Nigeria maintained their advantage, securing the win. This result marked a significant comeback, as Nigeria had previously lost to Egypt 72-60 in their opening game just a week ago.
In other quarterfinal matches, Mali eliminated Rwanda with a dominant display. Mali led from early on, winning the first two quarters 19-11 and 25-15, and held a 44-26 lead at halftime. They continued to assert their dominance in the second half, taking the third quarter 21-20 and the final quarter 21-11.
Mali’s standout performer was Mama Sidiki Doumbia, who scored 21 points. Oumou Koumare and Maimouna Traore added 16 and 14 points, respectively. Despite the loss, Rwanda’s Brigitte Nibishaka scored 16 points, and Vanessa Camara contributed 14 points.
Looking ahead, Nigeria will face Uganda in one of the semifinal games, while the other semifinal will see Cameroon go up against Mali. Rwanda will compete in a classification game for the 5th to 8th positions.