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Ogunjimi delighted over D’Tigress bounce back

By Mansur Abubakar

The Captain of Nigeria’s Women basketball team (D’Tigress) Helen Ogunjimi has praised the team’s fighting spirit at the ongoing Afrobasket championship after putting their defeat at the hands of Angola behind to edge past Egypt and Guinea.

In a telephone chat with Daily Trust yesterday, Ogunjimi added that the team’s mission in Cameroun is to go all the way at the tournament just as the male national team did earlier this month in Tunisia.

“After Angola, we knew what had to be done and thankfully everything clicked against Egypt and Guinea, we hope to continue with the winning streak and by the Grace of God go all the way in the tournament” the player said.

In the last game, Nigeria hammered Guinea 100-47 to get their second win in the AfroBasket Women Championship in Yaounde on Sunday.

Nigeria had lost 57-51 to archrivals Angola in their opening game on Friday and got back into the tournament by beating Egypt 97-68 on Saturday before

Sunday’s game.

D’Tigress dominated the match against their Guinean counterpart from the first quarter, which ended 25-9. The Guineans put up a better performance in the second quarter and scored 19 points to Nigeria’s 18 points.

After the half time break, the girls, coached by Scott Nnaji, came out hot, scoring 30 points in the third quarter to Guinea’s 12. In spite of the

Guinean’s redoubled efforts in the fourth quarter; they conceded 27 points and scored only seven.

Skipper Ogunjimi got 19 points. Edema Edeferioka had 10 rebounds, while

Sarah Ogoke had the highest number of assists, 12.

In two-point field goal, Nigeria had 49.2 per cent to Guinea’s 37.2; for three points, Nigeria had 35 per cent accuracy to Guinea’s 13.6; while free throw was 75 per cent for Nigeria and 66. 7 per cent for Guinea.

Nigeria also led in rebounds, turnovers, steals and blocks and the biggest lead in favour of Nigeria was 53 points.

Kogi Utd hopes for C’ttee’s fair ruling

By Joshua Odeyemi

Kogi United are expressing optimism that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Appeals committee would give them a favorable judgment when they meet on their case soon.

The Ordinary and Disciplinary committee had ruled in favor of Adamawa United against Kogi United in a case brought before it following the disruption of the match involving the two by fans.

However, Kogi United have rejected the judgment and had taken the case to the NFF Appeal Committee.

If the first judgment stands, Kogi United will be relegated to the Nigeria Nationwide league, a situation which has informed the management of the Lokoja-based team to take their case to the Barrister Eddy Mark-led Appeals committee.

Kogi United insists they did not commit the offence for which O and D convicted them for, arguing that their fans never disrupted their match with Adamawa United. They had maintained that the crowd that stormed the pitch on the said day were never their fans.

“We are very confident that the Appeals committee will do a very good job of investigating the matter and coming out with the real truth of the issue that happened that day. We are confident that they will give us a fair judgment, better than what O and D gave us.

“All we asked from O and D was to investigate the matter properly but for whatever reason they decided to slam us. But thank God that there is another opportunity for us to prove our innocence,” the club Chairman, Abdul Sule said.

Dike hails Falconets star Uchendu

By Mansur Abubakar

Super Falcons forward Courtney Dike yesterday hailed Nigeria’s U20’s Chinasa Uchendu who did not only get a goal against Congo in the 2016 Fifa U20 Women’s World Cup second round, first leg qualifier in Kinshasa but also put in an amazing all round performance.

The Cowgirl FC player who was part of Nigeria’s delegation to last year’s senior Mundial in Canada followed the 2-1 win from her U.S.A base and made her feelings known via social media site, twitter.

“Nice goal and work rate from Uchendu, go girl” Dike posted on twitter.

Sunday’s result means Coach Peter Dedevbo’s ladies have stepped up their chase for a place in next year’s global fiesta in Papua New Guinea.

Uchendu and fellow attacker Chinwendu Ihezuo helped Nigeria overcome their hosts whose second half goal was a mere consolation.

The second leg holds in Nigeria between October 9-11, 2015.

Three weeks later, winner of the contest between Nigeria and DR Congo will face either South Africa or Zambia in the final round of qualifiers.