LUANDA (Angola) - Senegal had to dig deep to secure a monumental 80-70 victory over Mali in Group D of the 2025 AfroBasket on Saturday at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda.
Brancou Badio and Jean Jacques Boissy's team-high 17 points each, and Moustapha Diop's 16 points saw Senegal recover from a fourth quarter 68-62 deficit to win by 10 points.
Siriman Kanoute led the game with 20 points, while Aliou Diarra's double-double (14 points and 11 rebounds) and Ibrahima Haidara's 12 points could do little to save Mali.
Mamoudou Diarra cleaned up, Kanoute's blocked layup attempt from a fast break with a superb dunk, when the clock hit two minutes. Haidara landed his trey, making it a 14-point game (40-26).
Senegal fired back with six points to close the gap to 40-32. A single free throw from Badio and Babacar Cisse Diallo (three points) and Ibrahima Faye (throws) gave Senegal little respite going into the half-time.
TURNING POINT: The Lions staged a fightback three minutes into the third quarter with seven points from Mane, making it a three-point game (44-41).
Senegal upped the ante with under a minute to play, Boissy and Amar Sylla hit threes to cut Mali's lead to five (58-53), but a layup from Togo at the buzzer put the Eagles 60-53 up.
The Lions of Teranga bit back, reducing the deficit to two points (68-66). Buckets from Badji, Boissy and Diop saw Senegal come back to life. Mali ran out of steam, and the Lions smelled blood.
Three pointers from Badio reduced the lead to one (70-69), and Boissy gave Senegal a two-point lead (72-70) with three minutes to play. Diop (four points) and Ibou Badji (four points) completed the 11-point run for Senegal to record a famous victory.
HERO: Senegal captain, Badio, led from the front, and against all odds, he ensured his teammates did not wilt under the pressure.
STATS DON'T LIE: Senegal's fastbreak points (23) and the contribution of the bench (25 points) made the difference.
BOTTOM LINE: With group stages reaching their business end, both teams came into the fixture with identical records (1-1).
Losses to Egypt for Senegal and Mali meant they had to battle it out for second and third place, as the two spots guaranteed a place in the seeding games. If Uganda were to pull off an upset against Egypt on Saturday, the winner between Mali and Senegal would automatically top Group D and secure a direct ticket to the quarter-finals.
So, this 12th encounter between the Lions of Teranga and the Eagles had a lot riding on it. To spice things up, Mali won the last AfroBasket clash involving the two nations in 2015.
The Senegal team now know they can fight back from adversity. The courage they showed against Mali will make teams aware that these Lions mean business.
The teams were well-represented by their fans in the arena, cheering as loudly as they could for the two neighbouring nations. It was the Malian supporters who made the most noise as Kanoute got his nation flying, scoring 13 of the 30 points Mali accumulated at the 5:40 mark in the second quarter. A layup from Diarra, who scored eight and crashed seven boards, extended the lead to 10 points (32-22) for the Malians.
WHAT THEY SAID: "It was a hard game. We were down for most of the game. We played together and fought till the end. It was a great moment for me and Brancou (to get threes), we have been working a lot on our shots," Senegal shooting guard Jean Jacques Boissy.
FIBA