WOMEN’S AFROBASKET
The sponsors of the annual Women Basketball League, Zenith Bank has congratulated the women national team, D’Tigress for picking quarter final ticket with ease at the ongoing FIBA AfroBasket championship taking place in Dakar, Senegal.
D’Tigress whipped Tunisia 75-26 in the group’s opening match and also in the second match, the 2017 AfroBasket defending champions walloped Cameroon 106-39 to book a quarter final place in the continental basketball competition.
Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, said the feat achieved so far by D’Tigress was not a surprise.
“We are aware that our girls are the best in Africa. We congratulate the team for getting this far but it is obvious that the tournament is just beginning for top teams like Nigeria.
“The higher you go, the tougher it gets and so we expect D’Tigress to double their efforts in the final stages so that the trophy will come back to Nigeria.
“D’ Tigress have a crop of professionals, some of whom were part of the Zenith Basketball League which we have sponsored for 15 years running. We are confident that the team has all it takes to go all the way in Senegal.”
Incidentally, Evelyn Akhator, Nigeria’s top performer in the first match against Tunisia with +24 efficiency,13 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block, is a product of Zenith Women Basketball League.
Other top national women team players who were part of the league are Nkechi Akasiki, Nkem Akaraiwe, Upe Atosu and Chioma Udeaja.
Meanwhile, D’Tigress will this morning at the Dakar Arena take on DR. Congo that thrashed Cape Verde 78-46 yesterday to emerge the third team of Group B.
Ranked third in Group B after losing to both Mali and Angola, DR Congo still managed to snatch the ticket to the quarter finals.
D’Tigress Coach, Otis Hughley however insisted on the team treating DR Congo same way as the other top teams in the group.
“We will treat every game the same because everyone will come out to play. We will go in with the same attitude we always have, to play hard from beginning to end.
“We respect all opponents for we know any team can be beaten if not properly prepared. However, we hope at the end of the game they respect us too,” concludes the D’Tigress coach.
