Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress have defeated hosts Côte d’Ivoire 53-50 to reach the final of the women’s youth basketball championship for the second consecutive time.
The victory in Abidjan secured Nigeria’s place in Sunday’s final against Mali and also earned the team one of Africa’s two qualification tickets for the 2027 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in China.
The game was closely contested, with 11 lead changes and seven occasions when the scores were level.
Nigeria started strongly, winning the first quarter 12-11 and the second 15-12 to take a 27-23 lead into halftime.
Côte d’Ivoire responded after the break, winning the third quarter 16-14 and reducing Nigeria’s advantage to two points.
The Junior D’Tigress, however, held their nerve in the decisive final quarter, edging the hosts 12-11 to secure a three-point victory.
Nigeria captain Favour Anari led her side with 15 points, two rebounds and four assists, while Zainab Adelaja was a key contributor with an efficiency rating of 14.
Nimah Ibidunni also made an important contribution, scoring six points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Oluwatobiloba Owolabi added 11 points and credited Nigeria’s defensive performance for the victory.
“We started slowly and finished strongly. We wanted to win, and we did, thanks to our defence,” Owolabi said after the game.
For Côte d’Ivoire, Fatima Diouf top-scored with 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, while Salimata Koné contributed nine points.
Côte d’Ivoire’s Jean Mary Diomande attributed the defeat to missed free throws, saying the hosts lost their opportunity to reach the final because of their poor conversion from the line.
Nigeria will now face Mali in Sunday’s final as they aim to retain the title and complete another successful campaign on the continental stage.
