NIGERIA QUALIFIES FOR 2022 FIBA WORLD CUP AS D’TIGRESS MAUL MALI 73-69

Nigeria’s D’Tigress beat Mali 73-69 on Sundayafternoon to qualify for the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup slated for Sydney, Australia later in the year.

The Nigerian ladies retained their aggressive approach seen against France and half-court game at key moments to dictate the tempo to rally back from a set down to beat Mali at the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall, Belgrade, Serbia on Sundayafternoon.

The three-time African defending champions, who will fly the continent’s flag in Sydney, lost their first set 20-22.

Just like they did against France on Friday, the Otis Hugley girls did just enough to rally back from a 2 points deficit in the first quarter to snatch a win and book their second consecutive World Cupouting.

The second quarter saw a more purposeful and dominant D’Tigress crawl their way back into the game with a 22-13 points win to close the half 42-35.

The team won the third quarter 22-9 to extend their lead.

D’Tigress came off the saddle slower in the fourth quarter, which saw Mali dominate them with 25-7 points before another impressive 19-13pts finish in the 4th quarter to seal the win.

Having lost to China on Thursday, D’Tigress beat France to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

The 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup will take place in Sydney, Australia between September 22 toOctober 1, 2022.

Source: TheCable