NGR - Cote d’Ivoire go past Nigeria 55-52 in Game-1

LAGOS (FIBA Africa Championship for Women Zone-III Qualifiers) - The national Women team of Cote d’Ivoire Monday in Lagos, Nigeria defeated her Nigeria counterpart by 55-52 points in Game-1 of the two-legged FIBA Africa Zone-III qualifiers to brighten her chances of making it to the final round of the 21st FIBA Africa Championship slated for Antananarivo, Madagascar from October 8 through 18 this year.

Nigeria began the game claiming the first quarter by 14-11 points to wake up the adrenaline of the Cote d’Ivoire players who charged back in the second quarter to even scores at half time at 23 points apiece.

The young Ivories side continued from where they stopped in the second quarter at the resumption of play in the third quarter to further push for a win with a 17-12 points win going into the last quarter with a 40-35 point’s advantage.

Efforts by the Mfon Udoka captain Nigerian side to come back into the could only yield a narrow 17-15 points win in the last quarter but it was not enough to save the Ayo Bakare led coaching crew to go down to the more determined Ivories side.

Cote d’Ivoire Kani Kouyate led the floor with 24 points while her teammate and elder sister Mariama Kouyate grabbed 12 rebounds and 10 points, Nigeria forward, Rashidat Sadiq’s 17 points and 5 rebounds could not save her side from defeat.

The second game comes up Tuesday at 17.00 hours

FIBA Africa