D' Tigress

Sarah Ogoke was the top performer on Monday at the City Arena in Yaounde, Cameroon as D’Tigress shot to the top of Group B at the 2015 Afrobasket Women.

The Nigerian senior women basketball team beat former champions Senegal 75-64 for their third win in four games to lead the group on seven points and edge Angola into second place.

The Angolans, who beat Nigeria 57-51 in their opening match on Friday, had earlier on Monday lost 52-53 to Egypt, and are now also on seven points from four games.

Ogoke who clocked 29 minutes 54 seconds in the game scored 18 points, scooped five rebounds and made four assists.

Nigeria took the game in hand from the first quarter leading 13-10, and built upon it with 27 points as against 18 in the second quarter.

They thus went into the main game break very comfortable at 40-28, with Adaora Elonu, Helen Ogunjimi and Olayinka Sanni all living up to expectations.

With M. Sy and M. Diarra finding their range, Senegal bravely fought back in the third quarter, standing toe-to-toe with Nigeria on 20 points each.

They even won the fourth quarter 16-15, but it was not just enough to stop the Nigerian side from reaching within distance of winning the group.

D’Tigress only need a win against Algeria in their final group game on Tuesday to win the group, irrespective of what Angola and Egypt can do against Guinea and Senegal respectively.

Nigeria, Angola and Egypt are all on seven points each going into Tuesday’s games, but Nigeria have a better points difference of 87, as against 27 and 21 respectively.

That victory against Algeria will ensure Nigeria top the group to face Group A’s fourth-placed team, either Mozambique or
Gabon, in Thursday’s quarter-finals.