Mali pulled off the first major upset of the Women's Basketball World Cup on Saturday, defeating Spain 82-73 in Berlin. The victory marks only the second win in tournament history for the African nation, who previously beat Senegal in overtime in 2010.
Second-half surge powers Mali past Spain
Trailing by two at halftime, Mali outscored Spain 31-19 in the third quarter to seize control. During that decisive period, Mali went on a 16-4 run after being down 45-44, with Sika Kone hitting two three-pointers in the surge. Kone, who plays for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA, finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Mali (1-1) opened the fourth quarter with five straight points, including another three-pointer by Kone, to extend their lead. Spain could not close the gap to within nine points for the remainder of the game.
Key performances and team records
Djeneba N'Diaye also scored 19 points for Mali, which now holds a 2-10 record in World Cup history. Iyana Martin led Spain (1-1) with 20 points, as the team entered the tournament as one of the world's top-ranked sides.
In another Saturday matchup, Hungary edged Nigeria 71-67 for their first World Cup victory in 28 years. Dorka Juhasz contributed 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Virag Takacs-Kiss added 17 points for Hungary (1-1).
Hungary holds off late Nigeria rally
Nigeria (0-2) trailed 66-52 with 3:57 remaining before mounting a late charge, pulling within two points on Elizabeth Balogun's basket with three seconds left. Hungary's Reka Lelik was fouled with just over a second remaining and calmly made both free throws to seal the win.
Juhasz, who plays for the Minnesota Lynx, recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds in the first half alone. Amy Okonkwo led Nigeria with 17 points. Hungary will face Korea next to close out pool play, while Nigeria finishes against France.
Other Saturday games included Germany against Japan and France playing Korea.
