Mali delivered a shocking performance at the Women’s Basketball World Cup, defeating Spain 82-73 on Saturday. This victory marked only the second win in tournament history for Mali, with their previous win occurring in 2010 against Senegal in overtime.

After trailing by two points at halftime, Mali surged ahead by outscoring Spain 31-19 in the third quarter. Key to this turnaround was Sika Kone, who scored 19 points, including two crucial three-pointers during a pivotal 16-4 run that shifted the momentum in Mali's favor. Kone, representing the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA, also contributed with 10 rebounds.

Mali (1-1) started the fourth quarter strong, scoring the first five points, highlighted by another three-pointer from Kone. Spain struggled to close the gap, unable to get within nine points for the remainder of the game. Djeneba N’Diaye also shone for Mali, contributing another 19 points, as the team improved to 2-10 in their World Cup history.

On the other hand, Iyana Martin led Spain (1-1) with 20 points, as the team faced a surprising setback despite being one of the tournament favorites.

In another match, Hungary achieved their first World Cup win in 28 years, edging out Nigeria 71-67. Dorka Juhasz was instrumental, scoring 19 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Hungary (1-1) had not won a game since 1998, when they defeated China in the quarterfinals. Nigeria (0-2) fought back late in the game, but fell short after Reka Lelik sealed the win with two free throws in the final seconds.