LUANDA (Angola) - Mali made history on Saturday by reaching the AfroBasket Final for the first time. They defeated Senegal 88-80 in a hard-fought semifinal at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda.
Mahamane Coulibaly's 23 points led Mali to this historic victory. Siriman Kanoute (15 points and eight assists) and Oumar Ballo (19 points) were also key contributors who set the Eagles on the path to victory.
Jean Jacques Boissy (19 points), Brancou Badio (15 points), and Moustapha Diop (14 points) did their best, but it was not enough to beat an inspired Mali team.
Earlier in the tournament, Mali and Senegal had played a group game, which Coach Desagana Diop's Lions of Teranga won 80-70.
Key player Aliou Diarra got into early foul trouble after scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds in the first half. Not wanting to risk losing him, Coach Alhadji Dicko substituted Diarra with 2:51 remaining in the second quarter, after he had collected three fouls.
Threes were key for Mali, and a Diarra, who was 3/4, gave them a 41-35 lead, and it would later be extended by a pair of Kanoute free throws, ending the quarter 43-35.
Senegal went into halftime led by Ibrahima Faye's nine points and Brancou Badio's six.
TURNING POINT: Ballo used his big frame in the paint to score seven points, while Faye led Senegal with his five. A Mahamane Coulibaly triple tied the 14-14. Kanoute had bagged four assists for Mali. Both teams played a disciplined and measured game in the first quarter, with Mali drawing two fouls to Senegal's one. After Mali led the quarter 19-17 through a Mamoudou Diarra trey, a drive to the rim by Boissy, and a steal by the latter allowed him to score three down the middle, giving Senegal a 22-19 lead.
A 10-0 run put Mali 31-25 up in the second quarter. Six points from Coulibaly and a Diarra four-point play gave the Eagles control of the game. A Badio three broke the run and cut the lead three (31-28). Mali lost the initiative, and their sloppiness in defence and in possession allowed Senegal to tie the game 31-31, with Mane’s single free throw and a Badji hook shot.
Aliou Diarra collected another early foul in the third quarter and found himself back on the bench. His absence did not seem to bother Mali as they built a 10-point lead (54-44), with half of the third quarter played. Coulibaly looked galvanized as he attacked Senegal in the paint area, scoring back-to-back baskets, which led to a time-out call by coach Diop.
Ibrahima Haidara’s three-pointer built a 12-point lead for Mali (63-51), but a Boissy up and under shot quickly reduced the lead to 10, and he completed his free throw for a 63-54 scoreline. After Boissy cut the lead to seven with another bucket. A flurry of scoring ensued at the end of the quarter with Coulibaly and Ballo scoring buckets for Mali, while Diop scored one for Senegal.
HERO: With Diarra out, Mahamane Coulibaly picked up the baton for most of the game, and his 10/13 scoring was out of this world. The few times he got to the free-throw line, he maintained a 50% rating (2/4).
Oumar Ballo gave Senegal a headache in the paint, proving unstoppable with his 53.8% (7/13) completion. Mamodou Diarra, who scored 10 points, picked up where he left off in the quarter-final against Côte d’Ivoire; his accuracy from point range always gave Mali the upper hand. Siriman Kanoute facilitated, delivering eight assists, grabbing four rebounds, and forcing two steals.
STATS DON’T LIE: Defence and sharing the ball were key for Mali. Defensive rebounding (28), steals (11), and blocks (six) were crucial to Mali reaching for the stars. Passing the ball to the open teammate was a game-changer, too, as Mali recorded 23 assists.
BOTTOM LINE: Losing Aliou Diarra could curtail any team’s progress, but Mali stepped up for prolonged periods without their big man. Teamwork. Shots falling. Defensive desire separated Mali from Senegal.
Down 67-58, Boissy and Diop put Senegal within touching distance, 68-62. A Boissy triple made a five-point game (70-65). The attempt at a comeback was short-lived, with Ballo making sure of his two free throws at the charity stripe, and Kanoute forcing a turnover, and he sank his floater from the resulting fastbreak.
Kanoute made a 10-point game (77-67) with his baseline three, but Senegal responded swiftly with a Badio pointer and a Boissy bucket to reduce Mali’s lead to five. Mali maintained their composure, and Ballo forced Ibou Badji into fouling him in the paint. It would be the Senegal big man’s fifth, which ended his evening, while Ballo ensured his free throws fell to keep Mali up 79-72.
WHAT THEY SAID: "First of all, I congratulate my teammates and send my respect to the Senegalese team because they are a great team. Our relationship we'll continue even after this competition. I think that our defence won us the game. We trusted each other from the beginning to the end of the game. I am really proud of this moment as I always dreamed about it since I was a young kid. I am just really happy for myself and the team. We put ourselves in a position to really win this game." Mali forward Mahamane Coulibaly.
"That's a big disappointment for us because we came here ready. We've practiced a lot of hard work. Unfortunately, we didn't reach our goal, but we thank God to get here healthy and represent our country at the highest level of African basketball." - Senegal shooting guard Jean Jacques Boissy.
FIBA