ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Côte d'Ivoire reached a milestone on Wednesday by reaching the semi-finals of the U18 Women's AfroBasket for the first time in 20 years.
The host of the 2026 U18 Women's AfroBasket tournament used a disciplined defensive strategy to defeat Tunisia 45–28.
This is the first time the Ivorians have reached the last four of the tournament since they finished second in the 2006 tournament in Benin.
Regardless of their final position, this is by far their best result in over a decade, surpassing their sixth-place finish in 2010 and fifth-place finish in 2008.
Tunisia, on the other hand, were seeking their first semifinal spot since 2012, when they finished fourth in Dakar, Senegal. Their best result in the tournament's history was winning the title on home soil in 2004.
So, how did Côte d'Ivoire make it to the last four?
The host nation, Côte d'Ivoire, overcame Tunisia with their suffocating defense.
Coach Denaimou N'Garsanet's team clamped down in the third quarter, turning a competitive contest into a comfortable win and booking their place in the semifinals.
Côte d'Ivoire set the tone from the opening tipoff, using defensive pressure to force a string of empty possessions and win the first quarter 14-3.
Tunisia settled into the game in the second quarter, matching Côte d'Ivoire's physicality to win that quarter 8-7.
However, the hosts still led 21-11 at halftime.
The turning point came in the third quarter when Côte d'Ivoire's defense took full control.
They held Tunisia to just five points while scoring 14 of their own in the decisive stretch of the game.
Tunisia responded with a spirited fourth-quarter push, outscoring the hosts 12-10 in the final period. However, the earlier defensive stranglehold had done its damage, and the deficit proved too large to overcome.
Jean Mary Diomande anchored the win with a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Fatima Diouf added 11 points, building on her strong tournament performance after scoring 30 points against Uganda earlier in the competition.
Shooting guard Maëlhis N'Dri was central to the defensive effort, contributing four rebounds, two assists, and three steals, along with four points, for an efficiency rating of 10.
After the game, Côte d'Ivoire head coach Denaimou N'Garsanet said, "Our defense was the foundation of the win. Our defense is what kept us in the game, and we want to keep it that way."
FIBA