Champions again! Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, DTigress are champions of women’s basketball on the continent for the fifth time in a row.
The defending champions showed class and resilence for the upteenth time in the tournament as they secured a 78-64 win over Mali on Sunday night.
While Ezinne kalu-phelps and Amy Okonkwo led the team in points, point guard, Promise Amukamara provided the assists for the scorers as he recorded 11 assists on the night.
The final lived up to expectations as the Malians stood toe-to-toe with the defending champions in a keenly contested first-half display. The first-half ended 41-41 as the Malians matched the DTigresses’ offensive play.
However, Mali struggled with their two-point shooting in the third quarter as they made one from four attempts while the DTigress made seven from twelve attempts.
The DTigress took a 61-56 points lead heading into the final quarter after a quite dominant performance in the third.
In the final quarter, the defending champions showed class and experience as they reduced the Malians to just eight points as they scored 17 to wrap up the record-setting win.
Ezinne kalu-phelps scored 20 points and 5 assists, Amy Okonkwo bagged 19 points and 3 assists, Victoria Macaulay had 10 points while Promise Amukamara recorded 8 points and 11 assists.
The win means the DTigress are now unbeaten in 28 matches in the last 10 years of the Women’s Afrobasket Championship.
Also, the DTigress have now qualified for the Women’s Basketball World Cup next year in Germany.
Coach Rena Wakama becomes the first female coach to win the Women’s Afrobasket Championship twice in a row.
