PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has rewarded D’Tigress, Nigeria’s female basketball team, with Order of the Niger (OON) national honours, with each of the players getting $100,000 and a flat.
Members of the Coach Rena Makama-led technical team also got $50,000 each.
This was announced when President Tinubu hosted the team on Monday evening following the team’s unprecedented fifth consecutive #AfroBasketWomen victory.
Last week, the President conferred similar national honours and gifts on the Super Falcons for winning Nigeria’s 10th title of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco.
In the final on Sunday, Nigeria edged out Mali 78-64 in a tense showdown, displaying resilience and composure to claim their seventh AfroBasket title.
They have dominated African women’s basketball, winning their 29th consecutive game without a single loss since 2015.
As with most of their early games in the tournament, Nigeria got off to a slow start.
However, spurred by Mali’s intensity, Rena Wakama’s side regrouped in the second quarter and headed into halftime with the scores level at 41–41.To qualify for the final against Mali, Nigeria had to dig deep to defeat Senegal 75-68 in a hotly-contested game, rightly dubbed “final before the final”.
A standout performance by Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu on Sunday night was critical to ensuring that the D’Tigress retain the title for a historic fifth consecutive time.
While Okonkwo contribute 19 points on the night, Kalu delivered 20 points, including several crucial baskets in the second and third quarters.
Promise Amukamara and Victoria Macaulay also made key contributions, while Musa added nine crucial points and four rebounds in a game that once again showcased Nigeria’s depth.
The Third quarter of the game proved to be very decisive, with the Nigerian ladies tightening their defence to outscore the Malians 20-15.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, he Nigerians led 61–56 and went on from there to win the game.
The victory has cemented the D’Tigress’ place as the most feared women basketball team in Africa.