Basketball
VIDEO:BIG DAY IN DAKAR AS DEFENDING CHAMPIONS, NIGERIA FACE HOSTS SENEGAL IN AFROBASKETWOMEN 2019 FINAL
The highly anticipated FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2019 match between Nigeria and Senegal is here to decide the continental title this Sunday in Dakar.
The match holds at 6pm Nigerian time.
While reigning champions Nigeria easy past Mali 79-58 in Friday’s first semifinal, hosts Senegal needed to work extra hard to overcome fearless and determined Mozambique team 60-57 to return to the championship title game for the third time in a row.
In all fairness, both Nigeria and Senegal
emerged as the best teams from the 12-tournament, and it came as no surprise
that each team reached the final of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2019 undefeated
in four games each.
Nigeria defeated Tunisia (75-26), Cameroon (106-39), DR Congo (79-46) and Mali (79-58) by an average of 42.5 points while Senegal beat Cote d’Ivoire (77-36), Egypt (85-47), Angola (88-54) and Mozambique 60-57 by an average of 29 points.
After losing to Nigeria two years ago – not once but twice in Bamako – twelve-time African champions Senegal will try to become the first team to win the tournament at home since their opponents claimed the 2005 continental in Abuja.
On the other hand, Nigeria aim to become the first team to win back-to-back Women’s AfroBasket titles since Angola in 2013.
After trailing by as many as 19 points in first half, Senegal knew nothing mattered most than fighting until the end, and beating Mozambique in the semifinal, Senegal demonstrated tremendous resilience and tenacity, two qualities that they will desperately need to try to prevent Nigeria from lifting the continental trophy in front of Senegalese, who continue to play a major roles in their heroes’ unbeaten run so far.
Just like previous Senegal matches proved over the past few days, there will be a deafening atmosphere at Dakar Arena, after all Senegal are trying to move on from the Women’s AfroBasket 2007’s disappointment when they lost in Dakar to eventual champions Mali.
And if numbers and history are anything to go by, then Senegal have a lot to worry about Nigeria – a team that averages tournament-highs 84.5 points and 52 rebounds per game.
With a talented roster led by Evelyn Akhator, Adaora Elonu and Ezinne Kalu, Nigeria’s ambition of closing the 2019 African Championship will be tested not only against Astou Traore and Co, but principally by the tireless home crowd.
Musa Kida, the president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), has been appointed as a non-executive chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the country’s apex oil company. His appointment is part of the sweeping overhaul that the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu made in the first working day after the Sallah break.
The sacking of the board of the NNPC sees the appointment of Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), replacing Mele Kolo Kyari. Prior to his current appointment, Kida was the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water Services, of Total Nigeria.
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Basketball
NSC DG Bukola Olopade Congratulates NBBF Boss Musa Kida for new appointment as NNPC Chairman
The Director General of the National Sports Commission NSC, Bukola Olopade, has congratulated the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Musa Kida, for his appointment as the new Board Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Olopade said Musa Kida has been one of Nigeria’s most efficient and Productive Sports administrators who has sacrificed a lot for the growth of Nigerian Basketball.
The DG maintained that his latest appointment is a testament to his years of passion, hard work, dedication and a very successful track record in the oil sector for more than two decades.
” Musa Kida is an accomplished administrator whose achievements cut across both the oil sector and Nigerian basketball. I have no doubt that the NNPC Limited will attain better efficiency and attract more investment under his watch”.
” Under his leadership as the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, we have seen the steady growth of the country’s basketball and how the National teams have continued to achieve new heights.
” At the last Olympic Games in France, the Nigeria Women’s Basketball team, D’Tigress was one of the shining stories for Team Nigeria, where they set a new record by making it to the knockout phase before losing to the United States”.
” I personally know the efforts behind the scenes that kida put in for Nigeria to achieve that feat with the girls in France and the Nigerian girls have been an unrivalled team on the continent for some time now”.
The DG added that he does not doubt that Musa Kida will use his new position to further earnest the development of Nigerian Sports especially basketball especially now that there is a new focus on growing a sustainable Sports Economy.
” Whilst the Oil sector will benefit immensely from the Expertise of Musa Kida as the new Board Chairman of the NNPC Limited, Mr President, has further helped to place Nigerian Sports in a better pedestal by putting one of us in a very strategic place like the NNPC”, he concluded.
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Basketball
FIBA names Nigeria’s Agada among those who starred the most on the last day of the 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers
The 16 teams that will be competing at this year’s FIBA AfroBasket from 12-24 August have been confirmed, with some teams securing their places on the final day of qualifying.
A quintet of individuals put in stellar performances to send their teams to this year’s African championship in style.
Teams have 169 days to prepare for the 2025 edition of the AfroBasket set to be hosted by former champions Angola, who will be chasing a record-extending 12th title.
FIBA- Africa looked at the matches and the players and featured nine players who were the stars of the final day on Sunday.
Here is FIBA’s analysis: The return of the Tokyo Olympian has been a blessing for Abdulrahman Mohammed’s Nigeria.
For the second game in a row, Agada was a thorn in their side’s side, scoring 23 points in a convincing 77-62 win over 2021 AfroBasket semifinalists Cape Verde.
The 30-year-old played just over 30 minutes and finished two rebounds shy of a double-double while adding six assists and five steals for an efficiency rating of 29.
Nigeria entered the competition after an 0-3 start, but his disruptive presence on the floor helped them to a 3-0 run to qualify, averaging 19 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
The other players highlighted are: Ousmane Drame of Guinea, Karim Maneof Senegal, Childe Dundao of Angola, Siriman Kanoute of Mali, as well as Ntore Habimana (Rwanda) Aliou Fadiala Diarra (Mali) Allan Dokossi (Central African Republic)and Nisre Zouzoua (Cote d’Ivoire)
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