Nigeria’s U18 Women’s team, the Junior D’Tigress, will seek revenge against Uganda in the FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket semifinals on Friday at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. This follows Nigeria’s convincing 66-51 victory over Egypt in the quarterfinals.
Nigeria’s performance was led by Abigail Isaac, who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Idubamo added 13 points and 7 assists. The team established an early lead, going up 6-1 and extending it to 11-3. By the end of the first quarter, they were ahead 24-13.
The Junior D’Tigress continued their dominance in the second quarter, increasing their lead to 32-19. Despite Egypt’s efforts to mount a comeback, Nigeria’s strong defense kept the North Africans at bay. Nigeria extended their lead with a 17-13 run in the third quarter, though Egypt outscored them 15-12 in the final quarter, which wasn’t enough to change the outcome.
Coach Juliana Ojoshogu praised her team’s resilience and strategic approach, which effectively neutralized Egypt’s top players.
In other quarterfinals, Mali secured their semifinal spot by defeating Rwanda 86-57, while Uganda made history with a 69-53 win over Tunisia. Cameroon also advanced to the semifinals for the first time, edging Angola 65-63.
