Tunisia U18 W vs Nigeria U18 W

Tunisia started the stronger side. They led 15-13 after the first quarter, powered by Orane Chantal Akila Tlemcani, who finished as her team's top scorer with 11 points. A spacious 19-point third quarter — their highest-scoring period of the game — gave Tunisia a 44-43 lead heading into the final frame.

But Nigeria's defence stiffened when it mattered most. Tunisia managed just six points in the fourth quarter, shooting only 31% from the field for the game. Nigeria, led by Favour Joy Anari's game-high 14 points, outscored their opponents 11-6 in the final period to seal the four-point victory.

Quarter scores: 15-13, 10-14, 19-16, 6-11.

The decisive phase came early in the fourth quarter. Tunisia had clawed back from a first-half deficit to take a one-point lead into the break (44-43 after Q3), but Nigeria opened the final period with defensive intensity that Tunisia could not solve. The North Africans managed only six points in the quarter — their lowest output of any period — and Nigeria's 11-6 edge across the final ten minutes flipped the game definitively.

The numbers tell the story of Nigeria's defensive resolve: Tunisia shot 6/19 (31.6%) from three-point range for the game but went cold from inside the arc, connecting on just 30% of their two-point attempts.

Favour Joy Anari (Nigeria) — A game-high 14 points, plus 5.6 assists and 6.0 steals per game across the tournament. She finished as Nigeria's tournament leader in efficiency (12.6) and points (12.8 per game). Player of the Match.

Orane Chantal Akila Tlemcani (Tunisia) — Led Tunisia with 11 points and averaged 2.3 steals per game across the tournament, making her one of the team's most disruptive defenders.

Zainab Adelaja (Nigeria) — Averaged 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game across the tournament; a key interior presence whose work on the boards helped Nigeria control the fourth-quarter tempo.

The aggregate stats on the FIBA boxscore reveal a game defined by contrasting styles. Nigeria shot just 24% from the field overall (31.7% on two-pointers, 15.4% from three) but compensated at the free-throw line, hitting 71.4% compared to Tunisia's 56%. That 15.4 percentage-point gap from the stripe effectively covered the difference in a four-point game.

Tunisia actually shot better from three-point range (31.6%) and had more field goals overall, but their turnover count and poor free-throw shooting undermined superior floor percentages. The lead tracker tells the story of a jostling contest: nine lead changes, six ties, and neither side leading by more than six points at any stage.

The result launched Nigeria towards the top of Group C. They finished group play with a 2-1 record — the loss being a dramatic 75-74 overtime defeat to Cameroon — before avenging that result with a 75-45 quarter-final demolition of the same side. Nigeria then beat tournament hosts Côte d'Ivoire in the semi-finals to set up a final rematch with Mali on 16 August 2026, with a place at the 2027 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup on the line.

Tunisia finished the tournament with a 2-4 record. They were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Côte d'Ivoire and beat Kenya 69-43 in the 7th-place classification game on 15 August.

A tight, low-scoring group-phase opener that ultimately reflected Nigeria's deeper tournament run. Tunisia competed for three quarters but lacked the fourth-quarter execution to close out a winnable game. Nigeria's defence — and Favour Anari's all-round production — proved the difference in a contest whose four-point margin accurately captured the narrow gap between the two sides.