Mali power forward Sika Kone has described Nigeria’s D’Tigress as a mentally strong team.
D’Tigress retained their AfroBasket title for a record fifth consecutive time after defeating Mali 78-64 in Sunday’s final in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Also, the team clinched a seventh continental title and are now four short of Senegal.
Reflection on the game, Kone stated that a team needs to be focused to overcome the Nigerian women’s team.
“It’s a mental thing,” Kone was quoted on fiba.basketball. “With a good team like them, when you’re ahead, you have to stay focused because they’re strong mentally and really good. You have to be ready for the whole game and be able to beat them.”
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Koné did everything in her power to help Mali win their first Women’s AfroBasket since 2007.
However, her 16 points and 13 rebounds were no match for D’Tigress, who have been Africa’s most dominant team since 2015.
Mali and D’Tigress went into halftime tied at 41-41.
Hoping to halt Nigeria’s momentum, Mali started the third quarter with a zone defense, but they soon changed their strategy when Most Valuable Player (MVP) Okonkwo hit a three-pointer, giving her side a 44-41 lead.
From that moment on, Mali chased their opponents for the rest of the game as Nigeria eventually settled for a 14-point victory.
With 49 points between them, Okonkwo, Ezinne Kalu, and Victoria Macaulay accounted for more than half of Nigeria’s 78 points, reminding everyone of their crucial role in the team’s success throughout the tournament.
Meanwhile, Okonkwo has now joined a unique group of players with two MVP awards, alongside Mfon Udoka (2003 and 2005), Aya Traore (2009 and 2015), and Nacissela Mauricio (2011 and 2013).
By James Agberebi
