Nigeria’s Under-18 Men’s Basketball team, the J’Tigers, have been eliminated from the 2024 Afrobasket U-18 Championship following a tough 81-70 defeat to Mali in the quarterfinals on Thursday night.
Mali dominated from the start, winning the first quarter 23-19 and maintaining their lead throughout the game. By halftime, the score stood at 40-38 in favor of Mali, with the Nigerian team struggling to wrestle control. Despite multiple efforts from the J’Tigers, the Malian side held firm to claim victory at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.
The J’Tigers had advanced to the quarterfinals after a commanding 72-61 win over Uganda on Tuesday, while Mali secured their spot with a 73-69 triumph over Ivory Coast. With this loss, Nigeria’s U-18 team exits the tournament, missing out on the chance to compete in the FIBA World Championship scheduled for Switzerland.
In other tournament news, Nigeria’s women’s U-18 team, the J’Tigress, secured their place in the semifinals after defeating Egypt 61-56 on Wednesday. The Nigerian ladies are now set to face Uganda in a crucial semifinal match on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Rwanda’s U-18 men’s team also bowed out of the competition following a surprising 53-67 loss to Cameroon in their quarterfinal clash. Despite leading in the first quarter, Rwanda couldn’t maintain momentum as Cameroon powered through in the second half to claim the win. Rwanda will now compete in classification matches for positions 5th to 8th.
The Afrobasket U-18 Championship continues as the winners and runners-up will secure qualification for the upcoming FIBA World Championship in Switzerland.