Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress stormed into the knockout stage of the 2026 FIBA U-18 Women’s AfroBasket with a commanding 70-40 victory over Senegal, while the Junior D’Tigers crashed out after a third straight defeat.
The Junior D’Tigress bounced back strongly in Abidjan on Sunday, putting their disappointing overtime loss to Cameroon behind them to produce one of their most impressive performances of the tournament.
Nigeria dominated from the opening quarter, taking a 21-4 lead before extending the advantage to 45-18 by half-time.
Senegal showed some improvement after the interval and narrowly won the third quarter 13-12, but the Junior D’Tigress quickly regained control in the final period to seal a convincing 30-point victory.
The Nigerian side also forced Senegal into 34 turnovers and won the rebounding battle 53-45, underlining their dominance at both ends of the court.
The victory secured Nigeria’s place in the quarter-finals after finishing second in Group C with two wins from three games.
Junior D’Tigers’ Campaign Ends in Defeat
It was a contrasting story for the Junior D’Tigers, who suffered another setback in Group A.
Nigeria fell 77-68 to hosts Côte d’Ivoire on Sunday, ending the group phase with three defeats from three games.
The Junior D’Tigers had earlier suffered a heavy 95-68 defeat to Egypt before losing 59-50 to Chad in a historic setback.
Their latest defeat left Nigeria at the bottom of Group A and ended their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
The Junior D’Tigers will now turn their attention to the classification games, while the Junior D’Tigress carry Nigeria’s hopes in the women’s competition.
With their confidence restored after the emphatic win over Senegal, the Junior D’Tigress will be looking to maintain their momentum when the knockout stage begins.
Nigeria now has one team left in contention for continental glory in the 2026 FIBA U-18 AfroBasket.
