FIBA Basketball World Cup

    Senegal was shocked by Mali’s fantastic comeback in the 2020 U18 African Championship.

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    Senegal was shocked by Mali’s fantastic comeback in the 2020 U18 African Championship.

    Senegal was shocked by Mali’s fantastic comeback in the 2020 U18 African Championship. In the history of the FIBA U18 African Championship, there have been a lot of great games, but the one between Mali and Senegal two years ago was just amazing. Egypt, Guinea, Mali, and Senegal were the only teams in the 2020 FIBA U18 African Championship in Cairo instead of the usual 12 teams. This was mostly because the COVID-19 pandemic kept some teams from traveling to the Egyptian capital.

    Senegal was shocked by Mali's fantastic comeback

    Egypt, Guinea, Mali, and Senegal

    Over the course of six days (December 3–9) in the Egyptian capital, hosts Egypt, Guinea, Mali, and Senegal played a total of ten games. Mali got off to a bad start in the Group Phase, losing to Guinea, Egypt, and Senegal in a row. To make up for this, they pulled off an unthinkable comeback. With their 0-3 record behind them, Mali beat unbeaten Egypt in the Semi-Finals (79-70) and then beat Senegal (80-78), a team they had lost to in the Group Phase, to keep the African title.

    Mali beat Senegal 78-76 to win the title two years ago in front of their home fans in Bamako. Mali was behind by 38-36 at halftime two years ago, but they saved their best for the end. In the third quarter, they scored 31 points, and Senegal only got 18. This gave them a 67-56 lead going into the last ten minutes. Senegal was running out of time, so Mali used their advantage well to win an awe-inspiring game. Mali beat Senegal, who was supposed to win, in a big surprise. Bourama Coulibaly led the team with 21 points, 5 assists, and 5 boards.

    Players

    Khalifa Diop, who was picked 39th in the NBA Draft last month by the Cleveland Cavaliers, had 18 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double. His teammate Babacar Sane, who plays for the NBA Academy Africa, also scored 18 points, but it wasn’t enough to help Senegal win their first-ever title. Instead, Bourama Coulibaly of Mali owned the day.

    Coulibaly led Mali in scoring in the Final against a familiar opponent, Senegal, with 21 points. He also had five assists and five rebounds that night. Coulibaly’s performance not only got Mali into the 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, but he also won the Most Valuable Player award at the 2020 FIBA U18 Africa Championship.

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