Nigeria’s J’Tigress have advanced to the semifinals of the 2024 Afrobasket U-18 Women’s Championship in Pretoria, South Africa.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the J’Tigress defeated their North African rivals 66-51 on Wednesday night.
Nigeria won the first quarter 24-13 and maintained their lead at halftime with a score of 37-23. Egypt’s attempts to close the gap were unsuccessful until the final buzzer.
This victory was particularly notable as it came after Nigeria’s previous defeat to Egypt, 72-60, just a week earlier.
In other quarterfinal action, Mali eliminated Rwanda from the competition. Mali took control early, winning the first two quarters 19-11 and 25-15, and led 44-26 at the break.
They continued their dominance in the second half, winning the third quarter 21-20 and the final quarter 21-11 to secure their place in the semifinals.
For Mali, Mama Sidiki Doumbia led with 21 points, while Oumou Koumare and Maimouna Traore contributed 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Despite the loss, Rwanda’s Brigitte Nibishaka scored 16 points and Vanessa Camara added 14 points.
In the semifinals, Nigeria will face Uganda, while Cameroon will play against Mali.
Rwanda will play in a classification game for the 5th to 8th positions. In the men’s category, Rwanda is set to compete against Cameroon in the quarterfinals.
Both Rwanda and Mali were the only undefeated teams in the group phase, topping Groups A and C with perfect 3-0 records.