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VIDEO: HOW NIGERIA BECAME FIRST AFRICAN FIBA WORLD CUP QUARTER FINALISTS

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Nigeria’s women basketball team, D’Tigress on Wednesday became the first African team to qualify for the quarter finals of any FIBA women’s World Cup after defeating Greece by 57 points to 56.

Despite team’s 15 to 7 points lead early in the quarter, the Greeks clawed their way back into reckoning to tie the contest at 15 points heading into the second quarter.

Sarah Imovbioh replaced injured Aisha Mohammed who until her injury had been sensational for Nigeria averaging 10 points per game.

Kalu Ezinne and Evelyn Akhator led the D’Tigress scorers chart with 14 points while Promise Amukarama weighed in with 13points.

The tension soaked encounter had the Nigerian Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung in attendance. His birthday coincided with the epic encounter.

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Akhator once again emerged the top performer for the team with 14 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and two assists.

With about 30 seconds to the end of the game and Greece leading by a point, Elo Edema caught a rebound before being fouled.

She converted the resulting two free throws to give the D’Tigress 57points to 56 lead.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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