FILE: D’Tigress players

Nigeria’s senior national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress have qualified for the final of the ongoing 2019 AfroBasket Women’s championship in Dakar, Senegal.

D’Tigress, defending champions of the competition, defeated their Malian counterpart 79-58 on Friday to advance to the final as they strive to retain the trophy they won in 2017, incidentally in Mali.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team won all the quarters wining 25-12, 17-16, 17-12 and 20-18 to edge out the hard fighting Malians 79-58.

Nigeria’s Ezinne Kalu was the star player with 19 points, while Mali’s Meiya Riders had 14 points.

D’Tigress had earlier thrashed DR Congo 79-46 in the quarter-finals, demolished Cameroon 106-39 and crushed Tunisia 75-26 in the group stage.

The championship, which began on Aug. 10 will end on Sunday. It is an Olympic qualifier.

Nigeria will now face winner of the Senegal versus Mozambique match in the final on Sunday.

Nigeria defeated Senegal 65-48 in a tensed final in 2017 and are likely to meet them again in the final on Sunday.