‘I believe in my girls,’ says D’Tigers coach Wakama, as Nigeria reach fourth straight Women’s AfroBasket Final

Rena Wakama, head coach of Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigers says she believes in her girls who defeated host country, Rwanda 79-48 to qualify for their fourth straight Women’s AfroBasket Final.

The Nigerians showed near-perfection in every aspect of the game to reach their fourth final in a row as they muted off Rwanda’s ambitions from the tip-off.

Though the hosts led for a total of 1’28 minutes, Nigeria swiftly flexed their muscles and never looked back, even leading by 26 points at one point.

Wakama was pleased with the team’s impressive performances since the start of the championships.

‘There’s no secret. But they should be empowered. I believed in them. And I put a lot of confidence. And here we are doing amazing things. Team work and confidence in them, and we see the results.”

Amy Okonkwo led the D’Tigresses to victory with a game-high 23 points, while Olaoluwatomi Taiwo followed with 12 units to her name.

Okonkwo contributed 10 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists.

D’Tigers once again relied on their bench to make a difference, producing 33 points, far more than Rwanda’s 6 points.

Similarly, they also used fast breaks points (12) to calm Rwanda’s nerves and clinch victory.

To add to this, Nigeria have out-rebounded Rwanda 51-35, with 36 defensive rebounds, while the hosts only recorded 25.

Third, they scored 11 for 24 from behind the arc, with Okonkwo and Taiwo sharing 9 of them.