ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - The host nation's smooth run came to a painful end last night when they were defeated 53-50 by Nigeria, who will now play Mali in Sunday's final.
Côte d'Ivoire had plenty of fan support, with every point they scored receiving a loud ovation.
Even when Nigeria took the lead, the Ivorian women did not give up, keeping the game close.
There were 11 lead changes and the scores were tied seven times, but Nigeria ultimately had the staying power to wrest victory from a hard-fighting Côte d'Ivoire side.
Although Nigeria won the first two quarters 12–11 and 15–12, respectively, and went into the break leading 27–23, Côte d'Ivoire fought back strongly to win the third quarter 16–14, putting pressure on Nigeria. The Junior D'Tigress won the fourth quarter 12-11.
Nigeria's captain, Favour Anari, had 15 points, two rebounds and four assists for an efficiency rating of 11, but Zainab Adelaja was the driving force behind the Nigerian team with a rating of 14, while Nimah Ibidunni scored six points and rebounded 12 times.
For Côte d'Ivoire, Fatima Diouf scored 12 points, had 3 rebounds and made 3 assists to lead her team, while Salimata Koné had an efficiency rating of 12 and scored 9 points.
After the game, Jean Mary Diomande of Côte d'Ivoire said that they lost their opportunity to be in the final because of missed free throws.
Oluwatobiloba Owolabi, who scored 11 points in the game, said that their tough defence against Côte d'Ivoire was key. "Yes, we started slowly and finished strongly. We wanted to win, and we did, thanks to our defence."
With the win, Nigeria secured one of the two spots for African teams for the 2027 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup to be held in China,
FIBA