Senegal Stun Mali to Snatch 2025 AfroBasket Quarterfinal Spot in Group D Thriller!

Five-time champions Senegal reignited their 2025 AfroBasket campaign with a thrilling 80-70 comeback victory over long-time rivals Mali, securing a 2-1 record to close out the Group Phase in style.

Down at the break and facing early pressure, the Lions flipped the momentum after halftime, riding a dominant second-half surge to complete a vital turnaround. The charge was led by Moustapha Diop of JA Vichy Basket (France), who posted a commanding double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Backed by BAL MVP Jean Jacques Boissy and Valencia sharpshooter Brancou Badio, who combined for 34 points, Senegal overcame a sluggish start to seize control late in the contest.

Despite the loss, Mali’s Siriman Kanoute impressed, leading all scorers with 20 points and nearly notching a double-double, finishing just one assist shy.

"We had to stay disciplined in this game. It was a long one and sticking to our game gave us the win. We had to keep our composure, stay hungry and grind because we had to take a gamble with the referees on whether they would make some calls or not," Badio said after the game. 

Mali came out firing, controlling the tempo and silencing Senegal’s offensive threats with a near-flawless first half. They edged the first two quarters 18-14 and 22-18, heading into the break with a commanding eight-point lead.

Siriman Kanoute set the tone early, dropping nine of his 20 points in the opening quarter, while the second saw a more balanced scoring effort across the Malian squad. Kanoute continued to orchestrate the offense after the break, but cracks began to show.

Senegal responded with grit in the third, chipping away at Mali’s lead. Despite Mali maintaining an 8-point cushion at 25-17, Moustapha Diop sparked the Senegalese rally, trimming the gap to 25-20 with 6:37 left in the quarter. By the end of the third, the Lions had closed the deficit to just three points, setting up a tense final quarter

Aliou Diarra’s smooth floating jumper extended Mali’s lead to 10 points (32-22) midway through the second quarter, as the Eagles looked in complete control. Even a timeout couldn’t halt the bleeding for Senegal, who continued to struggle defensively. Moments later, Mamoudou Diarra punished a turnover with a thunderous fast-break dunk to push the lead to 37-26, before Ibrahima Cherif Haidara buried a deep three—the biggest blow yet—to stretch the gap to 14 points (40-26).

But Senegal, five-time continental champions, weren’t going down without a fight. They composed themselves late in the second quarter, tightening up on both ends to slash the deficit to eight (40-32) by halftime.

They came out of the locker room with fire. A blistering 9-0 run early in the third quarter brought the score to 46-45, suddenly putting Mali on the back foot. Though Mali briefly restored some breathing room, back-to-back triples from Senegal in the closing minutes of the third quarter kept the pressure on, cutting it to 58-57 before a buzzer-beater from Hassan Drame gave Mali a narrow 60-57 edge heading into the final period.

The fourth quarter was a war of nerves—and Mali blinked first.

With Moustapha Diop tying the game at 68 with 4:39 left, the momentum had fully shifted. What followed was a nightmare for Malian fans: a ruthless 16-2 Senegal run that completely flipped the script and sealed a dramatic comeback. Mali, unable to cope with Senegal’s pace and pressure, collapsed in the clutch and were left reeling as they slipped to third in Group D.

"This loss is hard on us. They brought better energy to the second half and we did not do well to respond as theyade an 18-4 run that we didn't have an answer to. The next match will be a tough test and it is hard to come back from a loss like this but we will bounce back from this," Nantes' (France) small forward Haidara told Africa basket.com.

The victory meant Senegal finish second behind Egypt who beat Uganda to remain perfect. 

‍

[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]

‍