2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, Nigeria Vs Senegal: D’Tigress gunning for sixth title, fourth in a row
Saturday’s 2023 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket will be a remake of the 2019 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket that was hosted by Senegal. Nigeria won their second straight
title after seeing off the hosts 60-55 in a packed Dakar Arena.
They would later meet again, this time at the 2021 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Semi-Finals in Yaounde, Cameroon, and Nigeria would once again walk away with
flawless victory 73-63.
Nigeria would later claim the famous three-peat in the capital city of Cameroon.
There’s so much at stake in Saturday’s final at the BK Arena in Kigali as the two teams who have exceeded everyone’s expectations and the game will be
historic whichever way it goes.
It will either end as the one that that will give Senegal its 12th continental crown, or the one that will see D’Tigers lift the trophy for the fourth edition in a row to become only the second nation to have done so after Senegal (1974, 1977, 1979 and 1981).
Nigeria and Senegal are the most decorated nations in the history of the championships with the latter the most decorated team having won the trophy 11 times, in 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2009 and 2015.
D’Tigers have won it five times viz 2003, 2005, 2017, 2019 and 2021.
To get to the final, D’Tigers kept a perfect record with victories over DR Congo, Egypt, Mozambique and Rwanda.
Senegal, on the other hand, are on a 3-2 series, winning against Egypt, Cameroon and Mali after losses to Uganda and Mali.
It is not only D’Tigers that will be seeking a historic fourth straight win as their coach, Rena Wakama will also be aiming to become the first female coach to have accomplished this feat in the history of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket.
Rena Wakama is the only female head coach at the 2023 edition of FIBA’s flagship event for women.
And if she leads Nigeria to victory, she will be the first female coach to have accomplished this feat in the history of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket.
