Lausanne, June 29 (UNI) Mali upset European powerhouse Serbia 72-70 at the opener of the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup here, marking the country's first-ever win over Serbia at any level.
Sekou Bagayoko led the African side with 21 points, while Ladji Coulibaly added six points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Nikola Dzepina scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Serbia on Saturday. Coulibaly made it 71-70 with a breakaway dunk with 43 seconds to go before Ibrahim Doumbia converted
a free throw with 10 seconds left to seal the win.
Serbia, which was ranked third by FIBA before the tournament, trailed by 10 points in the first half before they chased back to 40-39 at halftime.
The two teams were tied at 59 heading into the final quarter. Sixteen teams were divided into four groups with top two teams from each group advancing into the quarterfinals.
Mali will face New Zealand, which defeated Argentina 77-72 in other Group A match, on Sunday.
Title favorites the United States had an easy 88-73 over Australia, while Germany had a hard-fought win over Slovenia, 75-68.
In Saturday's other matches, Canada beat China 80-72, France crushed Cameroon 75-50, the Dominican Republic defeated Jordan 79-69 while Israel thrashed host Switzerland 102-77.
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