Africa’s reigning queens, D’Tigress, on Sunday defeated Mali 78-64 to clinch an unprecedented fifth consecutive Afrobasket title.
Mali demonstrated their determination to end Nigeria’s winning streak, drawing the first blood by winning the first quarter 26-21.
D’Tigress dug deeper into their technical books of tricks to rally back in the second quarter with a 20-15 win.
It was Nigeria all the way as D’Tigress outdunked Mali with a 20-15 win to extend their historic dominance and inch closer to another title.
They have dominated African women’s basketball, winning their 29th consecutive game without a single loss since 2015.
As with most of their early games in the tournament, Nigeria got off to a slow start.
However, spurred by Mali’s intensity, Rena Wakama’s side regrouped in the second quarter and headed into halftime with the scores level at 41–41.
To qualify for the final against Mali, Nigeria had to dig deep to defeat Senegal 75-68 in a hotly-contested game, rightly dubbed “final before the final”
A standout performance by Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu on Sunday night was critical to ensuring that the D’Tigress retain the title for a historic fifth consecutive time.
While Okonkwo contribute 19 points on the night, Kalu delivered 20 points, including several crucial baskets in the second and third quarters.
Promise Amukamara and Victoria Macaulay also made key contributions, while Musa added nine crucial points and four rebounds in a game that once again showcased Nigeria’s depth.
The Third quarter of the game proved to be very decisive, with the Nigerian ladies tightening their defence to outscore the Malians 20-15.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, he Nigerians led 61–56 and went on from there to win the game.
The victory has cemented the D’Tigress’ place as the most feared women basketball team in Africa.
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