The D’Tigress of Nigeria reached the final of the 2023 FIBA Afro-Basket championship following their 79-48 win over Host nation Rwanda at the BK Arena in Kigali.

coach Rena Wakama’s girls started the game on a strong note , taking a 15 points lead over the host before they went on to take the first quarter 22-6 [leading by 16 points before the 2nd quarter].

The Rwandans started the 2nd quarter strongly, cutting the gap to 13 points after picking up 3 early points but the D’Tigress responded swiftly, picking 7 points to extend their advantage a bit.

The Rwandans stepped up to the plate, giving as much as they received from the D’Tigress but the Nigerians opened up a 20 points gap at some point before going on to end the quarter on top with a third quarter scoreline of 22-12. The combined scoreline of both the 1st and 2nd Quarter stood at 44-18 in favor of the D’Tigress.

The host nation were much better for most of the 3rd quarter , going on to reduce the deficit by taking the 3rd quarter 17-14. However, the D’Tigress still had a considerable lead over the host as the overall scoreline at the end of the 3rd quarter stood at 58-35 [ in favour of Nigeria ].

despite a strong effort from the host, the D’Tigress powered their way through to take the 4th quarter 21-13 and the game 79-48.

The D’Tigress will now face the winners of the Senegal vs Mali semi final in their fourth consecutive final appearance. Some feat for Rena Wakama in her first major tournament as coach of the D’Tigress. Once again, Amy Okonkwo stood out with 23 points, 10 rebound and 2 assist to her name.