Stephen Dunmoye
Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress has qualified for U18 Afrobasket final after defeating Uganda 71-67 in their semifinal matchup inside the University of Pretoria’s Rembrandt Hall on Friday.
Juliana Negedu’s ladies were the much better side, winning three of the four quarters, including being in the lead for about 36 minutes in the game.
Nigeria headed into the halftime break with a six-point lead after a 45-39 scoreline. Their dominance continued into the third quarter, which they won 16-15, while Uganda took the final quarter 13-10.
The Junior D’Tigress were led by Idubamo Beggi, who registered game highs of 23 points and six assists, while the trio of Wandoo Hembam, Momoluwa Tewogbade and Patience John all scored nine points apiece.
Resty Nanangwe led Uganda with a team-high 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Christine Namyalo and Bushira Namayanja both got 13 points apiece.
The Junior D’Tigress will face Mali in the final on Saturday, September 14, after the Malians secured a blowout 103-45 win over Cameroon.