Mali's Hamchetou Maiga was the biggest contributor to her team, scoring 18 points with three assists and seven rebounds. Her teammate Djenebou Sissoko netted 15 points and grabbed three rebounds.
New Zealand had three players scoring in the double-digits, Angela Marino with 19 points, Lisa Wallbutton with 13 points, and Jillian Harmon with 12.
Mali began on a good note, grabbing the first four points before their opponent could score and holding a lead of 14-6 with three and a half minutes left in the opening quarter. However, New Zealand played in good form the for the remainder of the first quarter and caught up 18-18. New Zealand pushed forward to grab a nine-point lead in the second quarter, going to the half 42-33。
Mali struggled to catch up in the third quarter, but managed to reach 53-53 when there were two minutes left. New Zealand successfully kept the advantage, ending the quarter 60-54.
The last ten minutes of play remained fiercely contested. Mali equalized the score 64-64 after five minutes and it was tight until reaching 74-72, when New Zealand's Angela Marino got a chance for free throws and made both of them, ending the match 76-72.
Mali qualified for its first ever Olympic Games at the 2007 FIBA Africa Championships in Senegal, beating Cote d' Ivoire and a normally dominant Angola in the knockout stages on their way to the final.
The New Zealand "Tall Ferns" have competed at the Olympic Games just twice before, in 2000 in Sydney and 2004 in Athens. The team won their spot in the Beijing Games after beating Fiji at the Oceania Championships in September 2007.
For More Information Visit Beijing Olympic 2008
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