…Mali, Rwanda and Cameroun also in the last eight.
By: Chinedum Ohanusi
Nigeria’s Senior Women’s Basketball team, D’Tigress on Sunday afternoon, outclassed their Egyptian counterparts 83-65 dunks, to rump into the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, being staged in Kigali, capital of Rwanda.
Amy Okonkwo led the scoring for D’Tigress with 29 points and added 13 rebounds at the BK Arena in Kigali; as Nigeria comfortably won the tie against the 4th ranked team in Africa, with an eighteen (18) point margin.
Having already defeated the Congo DR in their opening game on Friday, Nigeria has convincingly won Group D, and secured their progression to the last eight.
After D’Tigress won the first two quarters, 18-10 and 24-13, Egypt emerged stronger in the 3rd quarter and took it 19-14 to narrow the gap going into the last quarter.
The fourth and final quarter was then fiercely contested, but D’Tigress held on to wrap it up 27-23, for a hugely deserving 83-65 victory; as Nigeria, champions in 2017, 2019 and 2021 inched a step closer to defending their Afrobasket crown.
Murjanatu Musa also contributed 18 points for the D’Tigress, while Nicole Enabosi registered double figures with 10 points to her name; as Nigeria registered a third consecutive victory over Egypt, having also beaten the North Africans in 2015 and 2017.
Winners of the other three groups (A-C) will join Nigeria in the quarterfinals; while the teams that will finish second and third, will go on a play-offs to determine the remaining four teams, to advance to the last eight.
Meanwhile, having lost 69-82 to Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday, Angola returned to winning ways by overcoming a spirited Rwandan side, backed by a multitude of home crowd at the BK Arena, to win the Group A game 74-68.
Despite the loss, Rwanda looks set to top the group, on superior points difference, while Côte d’Ivoire and Angola goes on a play-off.
Earlier in the day, the Lionesses of Cameroun trounced Guinea 70-50 to make it two wins in as many games, and qualified for the quarterfinals; while Guinea exited the tournament with two losses at a bounce.
In the very last match played on Sunday night, the beaten finalists of the last edition, Mali put up a dominant display to crush Senegal 72-49, and qualified for the quarterfinals.
The defeat was the second straight loss for Senegal, the most successful side of the biennial tournament, now in its 28th edition.