CAIRO (Egypt) - Egypt captain Yara Hussein was on Wednesday night named the Most Valuable Player of the FIBA U18 Women's African Championship 2020. 

Hussein was the heart and soul of her side's impressive victory over the reigning champions and title favorites Mali all tournament picking a total 56 rebounds and averaged 9.4 points per game during the competition. 

The 18-year old center's defense and aggressiveness on offense gave Egypt a new dimension that helped them overcome the exceptional Malians 68-63. 

"I am so excited that we won today. To be named MVP is an incredible feeling and it is something that I will always remember. I thank my teammates and coaching staff for all the hard work that we put in to achieve this," said Hussein to FIBA.basketball.

Her teammate Hager Yassine, who scored 27 points and picked four rebounds, was named the best point guard in the All Tournament Five. 

Malian Diarrah Issa Sissoko emerged as the highest points scorer with a total of 89 points while her teammate Diouma Berthe was the best three-pointer shooter with nine to her name. Both joined Hussein and Yassine. 

Senegal's Khadija Faye completed the All Tournament Five for her brilliance in the paint on both ends of the court as the West Africans made their first return to the competition since 2012. 

Mali's Alima Kouyate was named the Best Rebounder with a total of 88 rebounds. 

FIBA