Olympics Basketball Qualifier: Nigeria loses Automatic Ticket

Nigeria vs Cameroon Semi Final Clash.

Tournament host of the 2015 Afrobasket Women's championship,Cameroon halted Nigeria's dream of playing in the final Friday,in a pulsating first semi final clash,the central African neighbors came from behind to steal the final ticket for the very first time,winning 71 -70 points.
Nigeria will now play a classification 3rd and fourth place match against the loser between Angola and Gabon Saturday.The winner of the Tournament will automatically pick the African ticket to the Olympics.

Nigeria's Coach Scott Nnaji. 

D'Tigresses of Nigeria as the women's team are called, still have a chance to qualify for Rio Olympics as the second and third placed teams are scheduled to feature in a play off with teams from other continents.

Turning Point:Aminat Njonkou hit a two layup with 28 seconds remaining, and Cameroon who trailed most of the game went on to upset Nigeria who tried to reach the final for the second time since 2005. Joyce Ekworomadu missed a jumper in the waning seconds of the game, sending home fans into frenzy. 
 
Stats Don't Lie: Two key Nigeria players Ndidi Madu and Olayinka Sanni fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, and Nigeria were never the same near the painted area.
 
Game Hero: Njonkou not only provided 14 crucial points, but she also dominated the paint with a game-high 16 rebounds.
 
Bottom Line: The result go either way, but Cameroon, boosted by a tireless supporting crowd, handled the game better in the final minutes, and will play the tournament for the very first time.
Adaora Elonu who led Nigeria with 17 points said after the game:

 "A lot of things went wrong tonight. We weren't executing and they were scoring too many points. They were getting what they needed, and we let them have energy and feel from the crowd, which was bad for us." Elonu said.

The Second and 3rd place teams earn spots for 2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT)