Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress have secured their place in the semifinals of the FIBA U-18 Women’s Afrobasket, defeating Egypt 66-51 in their quarterfinal matchup.
The victory marked a sweet revenge for the Nigerian teens, who had suffered a 72-60 loss to Egypt earlier in the tournament. The Junior D’Tigress will now face Uganda in the semifinals, seeking another redemption after falling to the Ugandans 80-64 in their final group game.
The Nigerian team dominated the first half, outscoring Egypt 24-13 in the first quarter and 13-10 in the second ending the half 37-23. The Junior D’Tigress kept their foot on the gas in the third quarter outscoring the Cleopatras 17-13 ending the quarter 54-36 in favour of the West Africans.
Although Egypt outscored Nigeria 15-12 in the fourth quarter, their strong finish was insufficient to overcome the deficit they had accumulated in the previous three quarters.
Three Junior D’Tigress players reached double figures. Abigail Isaac led the way with a game-high 15 points and 12 rebounds, securing a double-double. Idubamo Beggi contributed 13 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Momoluwa Tewogbade also tallied 13 points, along with 4 rebounds and 3 steals.
The Egyptians struggled to find their rhythm, their usual offensive fluidity hampered by the Nigerian defense. Khadiga Abouelghait led the Junior Cleopatras with 13 points, followed by Jude Alaaeldin with 11 points and Haya Alhalawany with 10 points.
A strategic play by Nigerian head coach Juliana Negedu led her team to defensive dominance, which was reflected in the statistics. The Junior D’Tigress outrebounded Egypt 47-37, forced 29 turnovers, and recorded 15 steals compared to Egypt’s 12.
Nigeria’s shooting efficiency was slightly higher than Egypt’s. They shot 34.8% from the field (35.6% from 2 points and 33.3% from 3 points) and 62.5% from the free throw line, while Egypt shot 32.6% from the field (36.7% from 2 points and 25% from 3 points) and 54.8% from the free throw line.
In the semifinals, Nigeria will face a tough opponent in Uganda, who defeated Tunisia 69-53. Resty Nanangwe, who scored 31 points against Nigeria in the group stage, led Uganda with 27 points in their victory over Tunisia.
Despite facing foul trouble, Nigeria’s aggressive defensive play and smooth offensive execution proved decisive in their victory over the last edition’s runners-up.
