Nigeria’s ’Tigress Devour Mali, Retain 2021 Afrobasket Title
Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, defeated their Mali counterpart 70-59 to retain the AfroBasket 2021 title for the third consecutive time in the final match decided at the Palais Polyvalent des Sports in Yaounde, Cameroon.
With the win, D’Tigress have now lifted the Women’s Afrobasket title for the third consecutive time after the victory in 2017 in Bamako, Mali, in 2019 Senegal and now 2021 in Cameroon and it’s the fifth African title . The Otis Huguely led side are now African second most successful side after Senegal
Nigeria won the first quarter 22-11 before going on to fall 13-9 in the second quarter.
The girls however came out smoking in the third quarter with a 28-14 win.
Mali raised their game in the final quarter, winning 21-11 but the win counted for nothing as the D’Tigress came top at the end of the match.
The Malians came into the fourth quarter with so much determination to turn the game around in their favour, though, they put up a good performance winning the quarter with 21-11 points, but not enough to redeem their image.
…As Nigeria’s Ambassador To Cameroon Fetes D’Tigress
Nigeria’s envoy to the Republic of Cameroon, Ambassador Gabriel Abayomi Olorinsakin, Sunday evening, hosted Africa’s back-to-back champions D’Tigress to a dinner party
The dinner took place after the final match between Nigeria and Mali in the 2021 Afrobasket finals in Yaoundé. Nigeria won the encounter by 70-59.
The Nigeria Embassy officials in the Cameroonian capital have confirmed the get together for the Nigerian ladies that have put the entire continent under their feet.
D’Tigress have remained unbeaten against all African teams in every competition on the continent and even in Europe since 2017. The party is to say “thank you ladies and the Nigeria Basketball Federation for making Nigerians very proud.”
Ambassador Olorinsakin who had served Nigeria in recent years as the Chief of Defence Staff has been of great support to the team since they arrived in Yaoundé last week.
The Ambassador and his staff have supported the team from the stands at the stadium; visited the team’s Yaahot Hotel residence to check on them and have supplied baskets of fruits and other goodies to team on a daily basis.
The players in turn have repaid the Embassy and Nigerians in full by diligently winning their matches in most seamless form never seen in previously in African basketball.
Nigeria defeated eternal rivals Senegal 63-63 on Friday to get to the final while Mali slide over hosts Cameroon 52-51 to make the final after their last 12 years ago.
