Follow Us on Google
•As Senegal seeks revenge against Nigeria in final
By Joe Apu
The stage is set for the final of the AfroBasket Women’s Championship inside the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda between reigning African champions Nigeria and 2019 finalist Senegal.
While Nigeria’s D’Tigress will be aiming for a fourth straight title in a repeat of the 2017 and 2019 finals in which Nigeria was the superior on both occasions, Senegal will be targeting to take their pound of flesh this time around.
Nigeria had taken a huge step towards their fourth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title courtesy of a 79-48 win over hosts Rwanda in the Semi-Finals game on Thursday.
The defending champions have shown near-perfection in every aspect of the game to reach their fourth final in a row as they muted off Rwanda’s ambitions from the tip-off.
Though the hosts led for a total of 1:28 minutes, Nigeria swiftly flexed their muscles and never looked back, even leading by 26 points at one point to seal a place in today’s final.
For Senegal it was tears of joy as the Teranga Lionesses clinched the last ticket to the 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Finals after a hard-fought 75-65 win over Mali on Thursday.
The win completes Senegal’s bounce back from a very slow start to their campaign and they will be aiming to finish the championship taking a victory over Nigeria.
However, on the two occasions Nigeria met Senegal in the final, D’Tigress stood tall winning 65-48 in Bamako, Mali 2017 and 60-55 in front of their home fans when Senegal hosted the rest of Africa.
Today’s final means a lot for both countries. Senegal is eager to returning to winning ways and are looking for their first title since 2015 when they last won the championship. They are also seeking a 12th title being the only country to have the most titles.
Nigeria on the other hand with her first female national team coach for D’Tigress, Rena Wakama is seeking a 6th African title and a fourth in a row.
Coach Wakama will rely on the effective shooting from Amy Okonkwo and Olaoluwatomi Taiwo from the behind the arc while Sarah Ogoke,
Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah as well as Elizabeth Balogun are no strangers to the Senegal women.
The Senegalese have improved on the back of a three-game winning streak after dropping their first two games to Uganda and Mali.
High scoring Cierra Dillard turned out once again to be the heroin Senegal needed in their semi-final game against Mali. With 33 points to her credit, she once again proved she is a valuable addition to the Teranga Lionesses’ roster.
