By Akeem Lawal
MEMBERS of the Nigeria's senior women national team, D'Tigress are in cloud nine following their qualification to the quarter finals of the 2017 FIBA Women's Afrobasket competition going on in Bamako, Mali after another resounding win against Egypt.
Sportsbiz247.blogspot.com reports that D’Tigress moved a step closer to actualise a third Afrobasket title ambition and a World Cup ticket by recording a new team record with a 106 points to 72 pummelling of the North African side to become the first country to book passage to the next round after their third group game played on Sunday.
A member of the team, Mfon Udoka uploaded a selfie picture with the rest of the players in a celebration mode after the victory on her Facebook page with the caption: "Smile if you're happy we're 3-0! We are supposed to be 3-0. Just the beginning. High expectations. Because...Nigeria. #sorrynotsorry #Naijababes #moretodo."
The match against Egypt decided at the Palais des Sports Salamatou Maiga, Bamako, saw Evelyn Akhator shone like a million stars as she provided the needed platform on which the team built their victory.
The Dallas Wings player scored 24 points, 5 assists and another impressive 13 rebounds against a more physically imposing Egyptian side.
Ever-dependable Ezinne also stepped up her display to record 18points, 3 assists and 5 rebounds during her 24:08 minutes' stint on the court.
Nyingifa Atonye continued her resurgence after a sloppy opening game registering 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 15 points.
A breakdown of the four quarters saw the Sam Vincent led team ending the first quarter with a 20-15 points lead before scoring 30 more points in the second quarter against their opponents who could only manage 14 more points.
The team extended their lead to 79-49 at the end of the third quarter before hitting the 100 point mark as they emerged with a personal competition record of 106.
Reacting at the post match press conference, Akhator described the D’Tigress team as a young side with the ability to dominate offensively and defensively which according to her is a plus.
On her performance, she said, “I just came out to play and try to get better every other day. I think me getting used to the plays and the court and getting the trust from my teammates really helped me".
The team will observe Monday as a rest day before facing Guinea on Tuesday in their fourth group game.
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