Nigeria’s D’Tigress defeated Senegal to reach it’s fifth-straight Afrobasket final.
Glamtush reports that Nigeria’s D’Tigress’ 10-year unbeaten run stretched to 28 games, following a thrilling 75-68 victory over fierce rivals Senegal on Saturday in the semi-finals of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket tournament currently taking place at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
The coach Rena Wakama-led side had come into the highly-anticipated encounter on the back of a 27-game winning run, which began from the third-place fixture at the 2015 edition in Cameroon. The six-time African champions had won all three of their games at the tournament to make it into the last four.
The defending champions had seen off Rwanda 92-45 in their opening game, before taking out Mozambique 60-55 to top the round-robin phase with maximum points. They saw off Cameroon 83-47 in the quarter-finals to book a fifth successive spot in the semis while also securing a berth at the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament scheduled to take place next year.
Coming into the semi-final clash against the Senegalese, coach Otis Hughley’s side started strong. However, the Nigerians clawed their way back to claim the first quarter 22-17. Nigeria also edged the second quarter 21-20 to go into the half-time break leading 43-37.
Upon resumption of the third quarter of the second half, Senegal roared back to life and made the subsequent 10 minutes count, outscoring the Nigerians to win the quarter by a massive 21-9 scoreline.
The defending champions then mounted a fightback for the ages, with Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu stepping up in points made. Former Phoenix Mercury ace Murjanatu Musa fouled out early in the fourth quarter, but it mattered little as D’Tigress won the last 10 minutes 23-10.
The victory sees Nigeria reach a fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s AfroBasket final, and they will be looking to retain their continental title later on Sunday (today), which will be a seventh African crown in their history.
Top performers for D’Tigress were Kalu, who put up 19 points and six rebounds, Promise Amukamara added 16 points, while Okonkwo and Victoria Macaulay chipped in with 15 points and 13 points respectively.
Senegal’s biggest threat came from Cierra Dillard, who scored 26 points, while Ndioma Kane added 14 points in the losing effort as they settled for a third-place contest.
