Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, has reached the final of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket tournament after beating Senegal 75-68 in a thrilling semi-final match on Saturday.
The win, which took place at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, extended D’Tigress’ unbeaten run in the competition to 28 games. The team has not lost a game since 2015.
“We knew it would be tough, but we stayed focused and played as a team,” said star guard Ezinne Kalu, who scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds.
The game was intense from the start. Senegal began strong, but Nigeria quickly responded, winning the first quarter 22-17. They also edged the second quarter 21-20, taking a 43-37 lead into halftime.
Senegal came back hard in the third quarter, outscoring Nigeria 21-9. But D’Tigress fought back in the final 10 minutes. Amy Okonkwo, Kalu, and Promise Amukamara stepped up, helping Nigeria win the last quarter 23-10.
Coach Rena Wakama praised the team’s determination.
“Even when we were behind, we didn’t panic. The girls showed great spirit,” she said after the game.
Despite losing Murjanatu Musa early in the fourth quarter due to foul trouble, D’Tigress held firm and sealed the win. Amukamara scored 16 points, Okonkwo had 15, and Victoria Macaulay added 13.
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For Senegal, Cierra Dillard was the standout player with 26 points, while Ndioma Kane added 14. But it wasn’t enough to stop Nigeria’s march to the final.
With this win, D’Tigress has now reached the AfroBasket final for the fifth time in a row. They will play for their seventh African title on Sunday (today).
The victory also confirms Nigeria’s place in next year’s FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
“We’re not done yet. We came here to win it all,” said Okonkwo.