Zenith Bank Plc, the sole sponsor of the Nigerian Female Basketball League has commended the Nigerian female basketball team, D’Tigress, for winning the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket 2019 championship in Dakar, Senegal, defeating the host nation 60-55 points in the final match to retain the coveted trophy.
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu commended members of the team for their hard work, doggedness and team spirit, which has seen them retain the trophy they won two years ago in Mali. He expressed delight at the heroics of the team, made up of mainly products of the Zenith Bank Women Basketball League, which the bank has sponsored for 15 years consecutively.
D’Tigress of Nigeria held their nerves in the final quarter of the game played at Dakar Arena on Sunday, fighting off a late challenge from their Senegalese counterparts, to emerge African champions for the fourth time.
Evelyn Akhator, one of the products of the Zenith Bank Women Basketball League, scored 14 points and made nine rebounds and her performance throughout the tournament earned her a place in the Tournament Five.
The Nigerian female basketball team kick-started the competition with victories of 75-26 points over Tunisia and 106-39 points over Cameroun in the group stages, before recording a 79-46 points win over Congo in the quarterfinals and a 79-58 points win over Mali in the semifinals.