Nigeria’s female basketball team, D’Tigress, defeated Senegal 84-74 to win the 2023 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket Championship for the fourth consecutive time.
The victory was D’Tigress’ sixth championship overall, and it came in front of a raucous crowd at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
Led by Coach Rena Wakama, the determined ladies claimed their sixth championship overall, emerging victorious with a score of 84-74 against the 11-time African champions at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda on Saturday.
With this remarkable triumph, D’Tigress has earned the opportunity to compete for a spot at the women’s basketball event of the 2024 Olympics, showcasing their commitment to excellence on the international stage.
D’Tigress asserted their dominance right from the start, establishing a nine-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Though Senegal put up a strong fight in the second quarter, with a 24-21 margin in favor of D’Tigress, the Nigerian team extended their lead to 12 points at halftime.
The third quarter saw Senegal play with renewed urgency, outscoring D’Tigress 26-19 and reducing the deficit to five points. The final quarter turned into an intense battle between the two top teams, but D’Tigress held their ground, securing a well-deserved 10-point victory.
This victory marks the fourth time the Lionesses have lost to D’Tigress in the Afrobasket finals, having faced them in previous tournaments in 2005, 2017, 2019, and now in 2023.
Making history in the championship, Rena Wakama, the newly appointed D’Tigress Head Coach, became the first woman to lead a team to the Afrobasket title, further breaking barriers and setting an inspiring precedent for women coaches in basketball.
The standout player of the tournament, Nigeria’s Amy Okonkwo, delivered an outstanding performance in the final, contributing 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists. Her remarkable display earned her the prestigious title of the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, further cementing her status as a star in women’s basketball.
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