Defending champions, D’Tigress of Nigeria will take on the Congo Democratic Republic in the first quarterfinal game at the Women Afrobasket in Dakar, Senegal.

The Nigeria team booked its quarter-final place after finishing first in Group B, while the Congolese had to beat Cape Verde 78-46 in the round of 16 games to berth in the quarter-final.

The D’Tigress used yesterday to perfect their game plan for today’s game against the Congolese as Coach Otis Hughley took his team through what they need to do against their opponents.

The odds favour the Nigerians to win this game against a predominantly home-based Congolese team, while the Nigerians have most of their players playing for clubs abroad. Nigeria is also good on the offense and defense and should use their experience to beat their opponents.

The Nigerian side looked better than the one that reached the quarter-final at the World Cup last year and is expected to successfully defend their title in Dakar.