BERLIN — Mali stunned Spain 82-73 Saturday at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, earning only the second victory in the African nation’s tournament history.
Mali overcame a two-point halftime deficit with a 31-19 third quarter that turned the game in its favor. The Malians went on a 16-4 run after Spain took a 45-44 lead, with Sika Kone hitting two 3-pointers during the surge.
Kone finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for Mali, which improved to 1-1 in the tournament. Djeneba N’Diaye also scored 19 points.
Mali entered the game with a 1-10 record in World Cup play. Its only previous victory came against Senegal in overtime in 2010.
Mali opened the fourth quarter with five straight points, including another 3-pointer from Kone. Spain could not cut the deficit below nine points for the rest of the game.
Iyana Martin led Spain with 20 points as the team fell to 1-1.
Germany shuts down Japan
Host Germany defeated Japan 74-58 in front of a sold-out crowd to earn its first tournament victory.
Germany dominated the opening quarter 28-11 and limited Japan’s 3-point shooting throughout the game. Japan, which made a World Cup-record 20 3-pointers in its opening victory over Mali on Friday, converted just 3 of 27 attempts from beyond the arc.
“We know Japan shoots more 3s than 2s, so we took away the 3,” German star Leonie Fiebich said. “Our goal was to be physical with them.”
Frieda Buhner scored 19 points and Nyara Sabally added 18 for Germany, while Kokoro Tanaka led Japan with 15 points. Both teams moved to 1-1.
Hungary ends 28-year wait
Hungary earned its first World Cup victory since 1998 after edging Nigeria 71-67.
Dorka Juhasz led Hungary with 19 points and 16 rebounds. She scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the first half.
Nigeria erased a 14-point deficit late in the game and pulled within two points with three seconds remaining. Hungary’s Reka Lelik then made two free throws after Nigeria fouled her with just over a second left.
Virag Takacs-Kiss added 17 points for Hungary, which improved to 1-1. Nigeria fell to 0-2, with Amy Okonkwo leading the team with 17 points.
France rallies past South Korea
France overcame a slow start to defeat South Korea 95-69 and remain unbeaten at 2-0.
Marine Johannes scored 14 of her 17 points in the first half as France recovered from a 31-24 first-quarter deficit. France opened the second quarter with 14 straight points and took a 43-37 lead into halftime.
France then broke the game open with a 24-4 run early in the third quarter. Dominique Malonga and Gabby Williams each scored nine points during the surge.
Malonga and Williams finished with 14 points apiece, while South Korea dropped to 1-1.
