Mali have retained the FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket title after defeating Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress 77-68 in the final held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The victory further underlined Mali’s dominance in the competition, as the defending champions secured another three-peat after previously winning the tournament in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
Mali have now claimed five of the last six editions, with Egypt winning the 2020 championship before Mali returned to the top in 2022, 2024 and 2026.
For Nigeria, the defeat was another disappointing outcome against their West African rivals, who also beat the Junior D’Tigress 76-56 in the 2024 final. Nigeria have now finished runners-up at the U18 Women’s AfroBasket on three occasions.
Favour Joy Anari led Nigeria’s effort with an impressive 26 points, keeping the Junior D’Tigress within reach for much of the contest. However, Mali’s strong start and consistent performance proved decisive.
Coumba Keita top-scored for Mali with 25 points, while Maimouna Traoré contributed 18 points as the champions completed the tournament unbeaten in six games.
Despite Nigeria’s loss, Anari was rewarded for her outstanding performance by earning a place in the All-Star Teamalongside Mali’s Traoré and Assan Mariko, Egypt’s Hania Hassabelnaby and Cameroon’s Eveline Toyounon.
Traoré was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Keita finished as the leading scorer with an average of 20 points per game and also claimed the best three-pointer award.
Cameroon’s Toyounon was named the tournament’s best rebounder, averaging 17 rebounds per game, while Benin received the Fair Play Award.
