The Nigeria Customs Women’s Basketball Team displayed impressive resilience in the final quarter of their game against Societe Omnisport De L’Armee from Ivory Coast, securing a 66-59 victory at the ongoing FIBA Africa Women’s Basketball League Zone 3 Qualifier.
The match which took place at the SKD Gymnasium in Paynesville, Monrovia, Liberia, saw the Customs team, coming off a strong win earlier in the week, set the tone from the start, dictating the pace of play.
Key players Kourtni Perry and Tobiloba Ogedengbe were instrumental in maintaining a balanced defense and offense, helping their team end the first quarter with a 24-18 lead and expand their advantage to 40-26 by halftime.
Societe Omnisport De L’Armee made a spirited comeback in the third quarter, scoring 18 points to Nigeria Customs’ 14 and reducing the lead to just 10 points. In the final quarter, Nigeria Customs’ Coach Abdulrahman Mohammed applied a range of defensive strategies to counter the Ivorians’ surge. Despite their opponent’s push, Nigeria Customs ultimately held on to win 66-59.
Reflecting on the win, Coach Abdulrahman acknowledged the intensity of the match and praised his team’s resilience. “I’m proud of my players for maintaining their composure in such a demanding game. Both teams had won their previous games, and I warned them it wouldn’t be easy, but their experience carried us through.”
He added, “Our aim is to keep winning, and we need to approach each game with a focused mindset. Every team here is competitive, so we’ll set this victory aside and prepare for the next challenge.”
The defending champions of the FIBA Zone 3 AWBL, Nigeria Customs Service Basketball Club, are set to play their final group game against the Commissioners of Liberia tomorrow evening at the same venue.
