D'Tigress beat Senegal to qualify for 3rd consecutive Afrobasket final
BY Idris Shehu
D’Tigress have qualified for the final of the ongoing 2021 FIBA women’s Afrobasket in Yaounde, Cameroon.
The Nigerians defeated Senegal 73-63 in the semifinals on Friday to achieve the feat for the third consecutive time.
The match was a repeat of the 2019 FIBA women’s Afrobasket final, and the Otis Hughley-led girls reproduced that brilliance yet again.
The coach named the unchanged starting five of Adaora Elonu, Oderah Chidom, Ezinne Kalu, Victoria Macaulay, and Ify Ibekwe for the game, and the girls exerted early control on the game.
The Nigerian team opened a sizeable 11-point lead in the first quarter with a brilliant succession of perfect shots towards the end.
Ibekwe and Amy Okonkwo were red hot as their precision and hassle helped Nigeria to 45-31 lead at halftime.
D’Tigress struggled to continue their high-flying performance in the third quarter as the Senegalese began a desperate resurgence to reduce the deficits.
The Nigerians eventually won the quarter 60-44 despite the renewed vitality of their opponents.
The Senegalese disrupted D’Tigress’ hegemony in the final quarter as they continued to cut down the gap, but it was too late as Nigeria clinched the game 75-65 to qualify for the third consecutive Afrobasket final.
Okonkwo led the Nigerians with 16 points, followed closely by Ibekwe with 14 points.
D’Tigress are just a step away from winning the women’s AfroBasket championships for the third time in a row.
Mali awaits the Nigerian team in the final, which is billed for Sunday evening.
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