Senegal cruised to a 97-71 victory over Mali at Dakar Arena on Sunday, controlling a Second Round Group F tie of the 2027 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers from start to finish. The hosts led for 39 minutes and 4 seconds of the 40-minute contest and outscored Mali in every quarter, stretching the margin to 26 by the final buzzer.
The decisive stretch came early. After Mouhamadou Gueye tied the game at 2-2 with 9:18 left in the first quarter, Brancou Badio answered 14 seconds later with a transition three off a turnover to make it 5-2, a lead Senegal never relinquished. The hosts then ripped off a 13-2 run from 9:41 to 6:08 of the opening period, draining three shots from beyond the arc while Mali managed 1-of-7 shooting and committed three turnovers.
Jean-Jacques Boissy paced Senegal with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 23:08, erupting for 14 of his points from the closing seconds of the third quarter into the early fourth. Badio contributed 22 points, a game-high eight assists and six rebounds in nearly 33 minutes, going a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line despite a 5-of-18 clip from the field. Badji Ibou added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds.
Mamoudou Diarra led Mali with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, but the visitors could not reverse the flow.
