Nigeria dream of first title, Mali aim to remain champions in Africa U16 Women's showdown

ANTANANARIVO (2015 FIBA Africa Women's Championship) - Reigning champions Mali head into Sunday's Final of the FIBA Africa U16 Women's Championship knowing they are one win away from retaining their title.

Standing in their way of a successful title defence is Nigeria, the impressive debutantes who will be looking for their first crown.

The Nigerians reached Sunday's title game after edging out Mozambique, 54-51, in Saturday's Semi-Finals.

The score was tied at 51 with 16 seconds left to play, before Ezekiel Monica hit the go-ahead three-pointer that propelled them into the Final.

In the second Semi-Final, the Malians cruised past Angola, 86-46, almost matching the scoreline of their Day 3 win (88-46) against the same opponents.

Sunday's championship game will be the first match-up between Mali and Nigeria in the history of this competition.

The Malians have played as a team throughout the tournament with four players averaging double-digits in scoring, including Rokia Doumbia (15.6 points), Djeneba Sangare (11.2), Salimatou Kourouma (10.6) and Awa Sidibe (10.8).

The defending champions dominated all their opponents, winning all six of their games by an average of 45.6 points.

Nigeria, without a doubt the surprise team of the tournament, are also undefeated in the tournament. Rita James has come off the bench to average a team-high 15.6 points and is the heart of this team.

Mali is clearly the favorite but don’t underestimate the Nigeria fighting spirit.

Before Sunday's Final, Mozambique and Angola will square off in the Third-Place Game, hosts Madagascar will fight it out for fifth place against Tunisia, and Egypt face Morocco for seventh place.

Go to http://u16madagascar2015.fibaafrica.com/index.php/en for complete coverage of the 2015 FIBA Africa U16 Women’s Championship.

FIBA