Senegal held off the defending champions, Mali, in a tightly contested semi-final 55-51 to book their spot in the finals. Senegal's first quarter surge was enough to help them hold off Mali who dominated the second half. This game had another implication other than playing for the trophy but also, it secures Senegal a spot in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Prague next year.
Last Updated on
August 17, 2026
The clash of the two African giants got off to an intense start when Abdoul Diallo stripped Codé Mbengue but Mohamed Keita missed the lay up. Immediately after, Senegal went on a fast break and would convert to break the deadlock, courtesy of Mouhamed Badiane. Thereafter, Senegal turned their defense up several notches . Senegal then went on an 11-0 run. During this run, they forced Mali into turnovers or highly contested shots.
Senegal dominated the paint but were also successful in drawing fouls as they made two trips to the free throw line. Mali's Mouhamed Sanogo broke the deadlock for his side after five and a half minutes of play when he put back his own offensive rebound. Mali's transition defense proved to be a step behind and Senegal exploited that with countless fast breaks and in the half-court, they drew fouls and dominated the glass. Sekou Bagayoko who won with Mali in 2024 in Pretoria showed his experience with a long three-pointer to keep Mali in the game. However, Senegal held onto a ten-point lead at 23-13 to close out this first quarter.
Sekou Bagayoko started the second quarter in the same way he ended the first, with a three-pointer. This brought Mali to within seven points of Senegal. However, Mali were disjointed defensively and Senegal exploited that as Papa Diallo drew a foul and had a perfect trip to the charity stripe. Mali's negligence with the ball led to another turnover and Senegal capitalised once more to take the lead back up to double-digits.
It was Mali's Mouhamed Sanogo whose dominance in the paint proved too much for Senegal when he scored a lay up and prompted a Senegalese timeout. With neither team giving an inch, there was a dry spell from both sides before N'Dji Coulibaly's three-pointer brought Mali back to within seven points again. Senegal called another timeout to regroup and it paid off as they went on a 6-0 run to close the half. Senegal closed the half leading 34-21, the biggest lead of the game so far.
The third quarter is where most games are won or lost but these two sides continued to battle it out with neither side giving up the advantage. It was not long after that Senegal went on a 9-0 run to go up by 20 points with the score at 43-23. Mali was still not out of it. They went on the offensive after Senegal began to show signs of complacency. It started with Sekou Bagayoko who drew a foul on a three-point attempt and converted two of the three attempts. Then, Mahamadou Sylla also drew a foul and split the pair on the line.
Just when Mali thought they were making a comeback, Codé Mbengue struck with a jump shot to break this momentum. However, they were not deterred by this interruption. Mohamed Keita then took over the game. He had a three-pointer, followed by a free throw, then two more free throws and another three-pointer. He single-handedly maintained Mali's armada during this comeback. He scored nine points and helped Mali cut a twenty-point deficit down to ten at 47-37 at the end of the quarter.
The fourth quarter was tightly contested as Mali sensed that they were within striking distance of Senegal after an explosive burst the end the third quarter. Babacar Samb opened the scoring for Senegal with a lay up under the basket. However, Mali's Aboubacar Konate added two more points to their tally after a driving lay up. Babacar Samb got the fans on their feet on his missed dunk attempt but before they could regain their seats, Mamadou Sissoko threw down a thunderous fast break dunk to ignite the arena. This prompted a Senegalese timeout as they looked to be losing steam.
Senegal then scored a lay up to take it back up to ten points. However, Mohamed Keita was not done as he sank yet another three-pointer for Mali before scoring a fast break lay up to make it a five-point game. Senegal then reverted to what worked for them, playing in the paint and drawing fouls. Papa Faye and Bacary Doucoure were successful in that endeavor but only managed to split the pair on the line.
Then there was silence, a dry spell from both sides as the pressure was mounting with every second elapsed on the game clock. Mohamed Keita then broke the deadlock with a lay up for Mali to bring them back to within five points. Pape Diallo then drew a foul but only managed to score one free throw. With under a minute left and trailing by six points, coach Moussa Cisse of Mali called a timeout.
Following this timeout, Sekou Bagayoko scored a three pointer to make it a one possession game with the score at 54-51 and only 42 seconds left on the clock. Both teams then had crucial turnovers in succession. Senegal called the timeout but were unable to complete the play before Pape Diallo got fouled with five seconds left on the clock. However, he also split the pair. In a last ditched effort, Sekou Bagayoko attempted a three-pointer and fell short. The buzzer sounded and like a tale of two cities, Mali were devastated while Senegal began cheering. Senegal closed the game at 55-51 and punched their ticket to the finals and to Prague for the World Cup next year.
[Photography and Imagery Courtesy of FIBA]
