Business as usual as Senegal reach Semi-Finals for 13th time in a row

YAOUNDE (AfroBasket Women 2015) - Senegal trounced Mali 57-38 on Thursday to reach the AfroBasket Women's Semi-Finals for the 13th time in a row.

The 10-time African champions had a slow start to the game, but kept the best for last as they improved their mark at AfroBasket Women 2015 to 4-2.

Aya Traore scored nine of her game-high 20 points from beyond the arc as Senegal kept their aspirations of reaching the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics very much alive.   

Turning Point: Ndeye Sene's lay-up followed by a free-throw gave Senegal a 20-19 lead in the second quarter, and Moustapha Gaye's team never trailed again.

Stats Don't Lie: Mali, who trailed 28-26 at the break, haven’t scored a single point in the third quarter allowing Senegal to enter the final ten minutes of the game leading 43-26. 

Game Hero:  Sene only needed 12:07 minutes on floor to change the course of the game as she finished with three points and two assists. 

Bottom Line: For most of the game Senegal exposed Mali’s poor midrange shooting. Without a doubt, Senegal showed a lot more grit and desire to win the contest, and that was the biggest difference between the two sides. For Mali's Naignouma Coulibaly, they failed to exploit their physical advantage in the painted area. As for Mali's poor third quarter she said they put themselves under pressure position and that proved costly for them. The result ends Mali aspirations of reaching the finals for the second time since 2011.

FIBA