PRETORIA (South Africa) - Mali secured their third FIBA U18 AfroBasket title after beating debutant Cameroon 60-51 on Saturday in Pretoria, South Africa.
Expectations were high in the build-up of the final after Mali and Cameroon displayed an epic battle during their Group Phase meeting, where the new champions prevailed 62-58.
In the end, Mali's team cohesion paid off as they closed their FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 campaign undefeated in six games.
Cameroon, who advanced to the Quarter-Finals as one of the two best third-placed teams, finished with a 3-3 mark.
It was Mali's third U18 AfroBasket over the last four editions of the tournament, having won it on home soil in 2018 and Cairo in 2020.
In the Third-Place Game, Senegal survived a Morocco scare, winning 72-71.
By reaching the tournament's final, Cameroon and Mali claimed the two tickets on offer for African countries for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Final Standings: 1. Mali 2. Cameroon 3. Senegal 4. Morocco 5. Egypt 6. Angola 7. Nigeria 8. Rwanda 9. Cote d'Ivoire 10. South Africa 11. Zambia 12. Uganda
FIBA