Emotional Egoke dedicates D'Tigress win to father battling cancer

ANTWERP (Belgium) - Nigeria's Sarah Ogoke was bursting with pride as she stepped off court in Antwerp after Nigeria took a hard fought win over Senegal at the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

It was a triumph that has put them firmly on the path to potentially flying the flag again for Africa when this year's Games get underway in France.

"IF YOU DON'T KNOW SOMEBODY THAT HAS CANCER, THEN YOU KNOW SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS SOMEBODY THAT HAS CANCER." - Ogoke-

The veteran guard had been desperate to pick up a victory to dedicate to her father who is currently fighting a cancer diagnosis.

She revealed: "My father has been ill for a while and that is why I am so happy to have won this game at this tournament. There are a lot of people who are battling cancer out there and it is a tough fight, but anything is possible.

"It's not easy being away from him at all. But that is part of the game. Regardless of what is going on in the outside world, you have to find a way to get things done."

It was a poignant moment for Ogoke since tournament hosts Basketball Belgium have also chosen supporting cancer as their #BasketballForGood campaign project in 2024.  The Cats' national team will raise awareness as ambassadors, working with the support of the FIBA Foundation. 

"If you don't know somebody that has cancer, then you know somebody who knows somebody that has cancer, so kudos to the Belgium Federation for raising awareness," she stated.

"Especially as we still haven't really figured out this disease and there needs to be more funding and more research put in to find a cure for this devastating disease."

Ogoke and her teammates certainly had to work hard to seal the 72-65 success in what proved to be a typical dust-up between both nations.

She added: "Senegal are a very experienced and well coached team. They came prepared, they knocked down shots and they gave us a challenge. Kudos to them for giving us a great fight.

"I think the last time we lost to them was in 2011. It's pride. Senegal and Nigeria are huge rivals and we took that personal. While anything could happen in the next games, Senegal was a must-win for us," stressed Ogoke.

FIBA