Basketball
‘We Want To Test Ourselves’ Kunaiyi-Akpanah Excited — D’Tigress Set For WNBA Showdowns Ahead Of World Championship
D’Tigress power forward Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah has expressed excitement ahead of Nigeria’s high-profile preparation games against top WNBA teams, describing the opportunity as a crucial step toward the upcoming World Championships.
READ ALSO: Ogba Praises Decision — Slams ‘Poaching’ Of Athletes By Wealthy Nations
Nigeria’s women’s national team is set to face Los Angeles Sparks on April 25, Minnesota Lynx on April 27, and Indiana Fever on May 2, a challenging schedule that promises to test the team’s readiness.
Reacting to the fixtures, Kunaiyi-Akpanah described the experience as both exciting and necessary.
“It’s a great opportunity,” she said.
For the forward, facing some of the best players in the world will help the team elevate its performance and gain valuable experience ahead of the global tournament.
“We want to test ourselves,” she implied.
Nigeria, placed in Pot 2 for the World Championships, will be aiming to build on its recent successes, and these matches are seen as a key part of that preparation.
Kunaiyi-Akpanah emphasized that beyond physical preparation, the games will also strengthen the team’s mentality.
“It helps us handle pressure,” she noted.
She added that competing against elite opposition will allow the coaching staff to refine tactics and improve overall team cohesion.
“We will perfect our game plan,” she stressed.
For D’Tigress, the upcoming tour represents more than just friendly games, it is an opportunity to measure themselves against the very best and identify areas for improvement.
As anticipation builds, fans will be eager to see how the team performs on such a big stage.
But for Kunaiyi-Akpanah, the focus is clear.
Learn.
Improve.
Compete.
Because in elite sport, preparation defines success.
(function (document, window) {
var a, c = document.createElement("script"), f = window.frameElement;
c.id = "CleverCoreLoader95885";
c.src = "https://scripts.cleverwebserver.com/2777295adab0c8a007d7f8a0312ad6f2.js";
c.async = !0;
c.type = "text/javascript";
c.setAttribute("data-target", window.name || (f && f.getAttribute("id")));
c.setAttribute("data-callback", "put-your-callback-function-here");
c.setAttribute("data-callback-url-click", "put-your-click-macro-here");
c.setAttribute("data-callback-url-view", "put-your-view-macro-here");
try {
a = parent.document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0] || document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];
} catch (e) {
a = !1;
}
a || (a = document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0] || document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0]);
a.parentNode.insertBefore(c, a);
})(document, window);
/* ]]> */
The post ‘We Want To Test Ourselves’ Kunaiyi-Akpanah Excited — D’Tigress Set For WNBA Showdowns Ahead Of World Championship appeared first on Sports247 Nigeria.
ANTIPOLO — Bennie Boatwright was simply the difference as San Miguel hacked out a 98-94 decision against the erstwhile streaking NLEX to get back on track in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Sunday at the Ynares Center here.
The comebacking import dropped 41 points, 25 of which he made in the first half although it was in the endgame where he shone the brightest, as he powered the Beermen’s strong windup to repel their foes–and snap a two-game skid.
Game was tied at 94-all following a Cady Lalanne triple but the 6-foot-10 winger took over from there, first going perfect from the foul line before slamming home the go-ahead jam to put them ahead for good with 32.1 seconds remaining.
SMB then leaned on defense afterward, leading to an unmolested CJ Perez bucket for the eventual scoreline with 9.3 seconds left in the game, becoming as well the latest to join the league’s elite 5,000 career points club,
A Robert Bolick miss from the four-point line and a rebound by Jericho Cruz as time expired were all enough for the powerhouse to escape, in the process completing the comeback from as much as 15 points down.
The post Boatwright erupts for 41 in PBA return as SMB snaps skid with clutch finish vs NLEX appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Bol Bol dropped 50 big points to power TNT to a 97-92 come-from-behind victory over Titan Ultra for their third consecutive victory in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup at the Ynares Center II in Montalban Saturday night.
Balling out with no less than South Sudan Basketball Federation president Luol Deng in attendance, the former NBA winger produced 14 of his points in the deciding chapter to lead the Tropang 5G’s retaliation from down 78-73.
He scored 10 in the stirring 12-0 run for the 85-78 lead with 4:36 remaining, effectively putting the reigning conference champions ahead for good.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Roger Pogoy, and Jayson Castro would come through in the closing moments to keep the Giant Risers at bay, eventually creating separation with Ginebra in the standings and get solo fourth (5-2).
Bol shot 21-of-34 from the floor and also collected 17 rebounds, four assists, a steal, and six blocks in yet another stupendous showing.
The post Bol Bol explodes for 50 as TNT rallies past Titan Ultra for third straight win appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
L-Jay Gonzales knocked down arguably the most memorable shot of his young career to lift NLEX past Meralco in an overtime classic, 104-101, for their fourth straight win in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Friday night.
The rookie guard out of FEU made sure not to waste Robert Bolick’s bailout pass, bravely pulling the trigger from downtown to beat the final buzzer and complete the Road Warriors’ fightback from down 89-81 late in regulation.
Gonzales finished with 15 points as his game-winner not only rocked the Ynares Center II in Montalban, but, more significantly, enabled the Road Warriors to capture solo second with a 6-1 record, sitting just behind the 7-0 Rain or Shine.
That shot, furthermore, helped NLEX overcome the ejection of head coach Jong Uichico for initiating contact with an official with 2:12 left in the second period, leaving the coaching duties to Borgie Hermida and the other deputies.
(C) PBA images
“The play was to disguise, because we’ve been running the last six, seven plays for the last five minutes. So, I thought of drawing another one to disguise, and eventually, it opened up L-Jay. Luckily, he hit it,” Hermida explained.
Cady Lalanne top-scored for the Road Warriors with monster numbers of 34 points and 25 rebounds plus three assists and three blocks, doing all that despite being hounded by foul trouble that saw him get called for five.
Deschon Winston made 21 points and five rebounds, while Robert Bolick added 11 points and eight assists as these three forced the extra five minutes.
NLEX actually stared at an 81-68 deficit early in the fourth, but Winston knocked down a four-pointer, then came Lalanne with a triple to lay the groundwork for a stirring 21-8 assault to even things out and push the game to another period.
The said run was capped by no less than their closer in Bolick, nailing a tough stepback triple to make it an 89-all deadlock with 27.8 seconds to go.
(C) PBA images
The opposition went to Chris Newsome yet again for the final play, but the star guard deferred to Marvin Jones for the final shot, given the defense. The do-it-all import, however, missed his shot from long distance as time expired.
Meralco appeared to be sending the game into another OT when Jason Brickman tied the game at 101-all with 12.3 seconds left, but then came the magic play between Bolick and the young playmaker for the win.
“Sobrang nagpapasalamat ako sa kanila; sobrang laking tiwala nila sa akin,” expressed Gonzales. “Yung mga ganoong bagay siguro, kailangan ko rin pagtrabahuhan. Hindi naman basta-basta na ibibigay nila sa akin ‘yun.”
The victory shall give NLEX an added morale boost when they take on San Miguel Beer this Sunday, April 19, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
“It’s a big win for us, especially since we’re going up against San Miguel,” Hermida said. “So kailangan mataas ang kumpiyansa namin pagdating sa Sunday.”
Jones, on the other hand, led Meralco with 25 points and 13 rebounds in the loss that snapped their three-game winning streak, thus dropping to 5-2.
Newsome made 19 points and six rebounds. Former Road Warrior Javee Mocon had 17 points and seven rebounds in an apparently inspired performance against his ex-team, while CJ Cansino supplied 14.
Brickman finished with 13 points for the Bolts, who are now at solo third and will head into a lengthy break before facing the Beermen on April 28.
The Scores:
NLEX 104 – Lalanne 34, Winston 21, Gonzales 15, Bolick 11, Bahio 9, Rodger 7, Semerad 5, Alas 2, Racal 0, Herndon 0, Fajardo 0.
Meralco 101 – Jones 25, Newsome 19, Mocon 17, Cansino 14, Brickman 13, Quinto 7, Banchero 6, Hodge 0, Black 0, Almazan 0, Pascual 0, Rios 0.
Quarterscores: 14-19, 35-45, 64-76, 89-89, 104-101.
The post PBA: L-Jay Gonzales sinks buzzer-beater as NLEX stuns Meralco in OT thriller appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
-
News2 months agoCamilla Lamina shows calm leadership even off the bench
-
Football2 months ago
2026 Uganda Cup: The confirmed fixtures, venues & kick off times at round of 32
-
Cricket News2 months agoT20 World Cup 2026: 'We've got to stay positive' – Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott remains hopeful of reaching Super 8 despite back-to-back losses
-
Football2 months ago
Divine Mukasa plays full time as Leicester City bows out of FA Cup to Southampton
-
Foreign Pros2 months ago
‘Eric Chelle must pay compensation to quit Super Eagles post’
-
DLSU2 months agoShan Nunag shows composure beyond year in La Salle debut
-
Foreign Pros2 months ago
Super Eagles coach presents 19-point proposal to NFF
-
DLSU2 months agoShevana Laput says La Salle’s true challenge is within