Nigeria’s Under-18 Men’s Basketball team, the J’Tigers, have been eliminated from the 2024 Afrobasket U-18 Championship following an 81-70 defeat by Mali in the quarterfinals on Thursday night.
The Malians, who dominated from the start, won the first quarter 23-19 and maintained their lead through halftime with a 40-38 advantage. Despite the J’Tigers’ efforts to turn the game around, Mali held firm to secure the win in Pretoria, South Africa.
With this result, Mali advances, while Nigeria misses out on a chance to qualify for the FIBA World Championship in Switzerland, reserved for the winners and runners-up of the tournament.
In contrast, Nigeria’s Under-18 Women’s Basketball team, the J’Tigress, reached the semifinals on Wednesday after a hard-fought 61-56 victory over Egypt.
They are set to face Uganda in the semifinal on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Rwanda’s Under-18 men’s team also suffered a quarterfinal exit after a surprising 53-67 loss to Cameroon. Despite a strong start, Rwanda could not maintain their lead, allowing Cameroon to dominate the final quarter and secure their spot in the semifinals.
Rwanda will now compete in a classification game for 5th to 8th positions.
