LAGOS (Nigeria) – Reigning FIBA Women's AfroBasket champions, Nigeria are poised on making a back-to-back record by attempting to retain the title they won in 2017 in Bamako, Mali.

Two years after that triumph , Nigeria will be heading to Senegal in flamboyant fettle having reached the quarter-finals  at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife, Spain.

Ahead of the title defence, Nigeria coach Otis Hughley and the country's basketball fédération have release a 15-player preliminary squad including team captain Adaora Elonu, Jasmine Nwajei, Elo Edeferioka, and Promise Amukamara who made her international debut for Nigeria last year at the  World Cup  in Spain.

They are joined by newly invited University of Buffalo player; Theresa Onwuka, Aisha Balarabe, Sarah Imovhioh and Ezinne Kalu alongside Victoria Macaulay who last featured for Chicago Sky in the WNBA.

Otis has also drafted in  New York Liberty power forward, Ifunaya Ibekwe while Italy based Kunaiyi Pallas Akpannah will be contending for a spot in the final roster  alongside Atonye Nyingifa, Sarah Ogoke and Evelyn Akhator who were all part of the D’Tigress 2018 world cup expedition.

Elizabeth Balogun who recently transferred to Louisville from Georgia Tech completes the list of the 15 invited players.

 The FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2017 will be staged from the August 9- 18  at the newly-launched Dakar Arena in Senegal.

Twelve teams will compete in the Dakar showdown amongst them host Senegal, reigning champions Nigeria, Mali, Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Angola, Egypt, Tunisia, Cape Verde as well as both Kenya and DR Congo, who qualified by virtue of wild card invitations.

The top six teams from this year's continental bonanza will compete at FIBA Africa's pre-qualifying tournament for the women's basketball competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

FIBA