Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress secured a hard-fought 71-67 victory over Uganda in the semifinals of the FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket 2024 on Friday. The thrilling encounter took place at Pretoria University in South Africa, ensuring Nigeria’s place in the tournament final and earning them a ticket to the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2025 in Czechia.
Nigeria’s win came as sweet revenge against Uganda, who had defeated them during the Group Phase. Despite a challenging group stage where Nigeria won only one game, they bounced back in the knockout stages. They defeated Egypt 66-51 in the quarterfinals, avenging a previous loss, to reach the semifinal against Uganda.
Meanwhile, Mali secured their place in the final by overpowering Cameroon with a dominant 103-45 win. Nigeria will now face Mali in Saturday’s final, hoping to claim the title and avenge Nigeria’s men’s team, who lost to Mali in the quarterfinal earlier in the tournament.
Statistically, Nigeria’s slight edge in scoring, led by Idubamo Beggi and Abigail Isaac, helped push them past a resilient Ugandan side led by Resty Nanangwe, Modesta Anyango, and Mia Belinda.
Coach Juliana Ojoshogu Negedu’s team is now eyeing the championship, with hopes of finishing on a high note after overcoming multiple hurdles on their journey to the final.
Next Match: Nigeria vs. Mali, Saturday.