D’Tigress win their fourth straight Afrobasket championship
The D’Tigress won the 2023 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket Championship on Saturday for the fourth time in a row.
Senegal was defeated by the Nigerian women’s basketball team in the championship game.
At the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, on Saturday, the Rena Wakama-led ladies upset the 11-time African champions 84-74 to win their sixth title.
D’Tigress will now compete for a spot at the women’s basketball competition of the 2024 Olympics thanks to the victory.
At the end of the first quarter, D’Tigress had a nine-point advantage, rapidly establishing their domination.
The Senegalese kept it close in the second quarter, but D’Tigress increased their lead to 12 points at the half with a 24-21 score.
The inaugural female coach to capture the Afrobasket title is Rena Wakama.
Senegal came out more eagerly in the second half and was able to win the third quarter 26-19, cutting the lead to five.
Senegal continued to reduce the advantage in the fourth quarter, but D’Tigress took it and won the game by 10 points. The fourth quarter saw back-and-forth play between the two greatest teams in the tournament.
The D’Tigress have now defeated the Lionesses in four consecutive Afrosbasket championship games (2005, 2017, 2019, and 2023).
Rena Wakama, the newly hired head coach of the D’Tigress, made history by being the first woman to coach a team to the Afrobasket championship.
Amy Okonkwo was voted the competition’s MVP.
Amy Okonkwo of Nigeria, who finished the championship game with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists, was awarded the competition’s most valuable player.
