Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress secured a hard-fought 71-67 victory over Uganda on Friday, advancing to the final of the 2024 FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket. The tense semifinal match took place at Pretoria University in South Africa, and with this win, Nigeria also earned a spot in the 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, alongside Mali, who dominated Cameroon 103-45 in the other semifinal earlier in the day.
Despite Uganda having beaten Nigeria during the Group Phase, the Nigerians turned the tables this time around, taking sweet revenge to advance to the final. Nigeria, the 2010 silver medallists, had won just one game in the Group Phase—a commanding 107-30 victory over Zimbabwe. However, they secured a place in the knockout stages as one of the top third-place finishers.
In the quarterfinals, Nigeria faced Egypt, a team that had defeated them 72-60 in the Group Phase. This time, Nigeria prevailed, delivering a 66-51 victory to book their spot in the semifinals.
Led by coach Juliana Ojoshogu Negedu, Nigeria prepared to battle Uganda again, while Uganda’s coach Omondi, who had already improved his team’s ranking from the previous tournament, sought to guide his side to a historic podium finish.
Statistically, Nigeria had a slight edge going into the game, with standout players Idubamo Beggi and Abigail Isaac expected to lead their scoring efforts. Uganda, on the other hand, relied on key players like Resty Nanangwe, Modesta Anyango, and Mia Belinda to make an impact.
Nigeria will now face Mali in the final on Saturday, aiming to avenge their men’s team’s quarterfinal loss to Mali earlier in the week.
