Nigeria’s senior women national basketball team, D'Tigress on Thursday in Yaounde beat Cote d’Ivoire 72-56 to advance to the semi-finals of the 2021 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship.

D'Tigress, who are the defending champions and eyeing a third title in a row, won the quarter-final game’s first three quarters to establish an unassailable lead.

The team won 24-8 and 19-13 in the first and second quarters respectively to lead 43-21 as they headed for the game’s break.

D’Tigress continued where they stopped by winning the third quarter 16-14 as the Ivorians fought back to avoid losing heavily in the game at the City Arena in the Cameroonian capital.

The Nigerian team improved from their last game, with tremendous success in scoring their free throws, and a good measure of success from the three-point spot.

Ezinne Kalu dazzled for the Nigerian team in the match, scoring 17 points and grabbing four rebounds, as well as six assists.

Victoria Macaulay also had eight points and seven rebounds, with one assist, while Adaora Elonu had nine points, five rebounds and two assists.

D’Tigress will now in the semi-finals on Friday face winners of the second quarter-final pairing involving Senegal and Mozambique.