Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, extended their remarkable unbeaten streak to 28 games with a hard-fought 75-68 victory over long-time rivals Senegal in the semi-final of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket tournament on Saturday.
The nail-biting encounter, held at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, saw the defending champions dig deep to book their place in a fifth consecutive AfroBasket final, as they chase a historic seventh African title.
Under the guidance of head coach Rena Wakama, the Nigerian side entered the game with a commanding 27-game unbeaten run, dating back to their third-place match at the 2015 edition in Cameroon. Having already secured wins over Rwanda (92-45), Mozambique (60-55), and Cameroon (83-47) in earlier rounds, the six-time champions came into the semis in red-hot form.
Despite a fast start by Senegal, coached by former D’Tigress handler Otis Hughley, Nigeria wrestled control of the game, taking the first quarter 22-17 and narrowly edging the second 21-20 to lead 43-37 at halftime.
The third quarter, however, saw Senegal fight back fiercely, outscoring Nigeria 21-9 to take a 58-52 lead heading into the final quarter. But D’Tigress once again showed their championship mentality, rallying back with a dominant 23-10 fourth quarter performance led by Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu.
Despite Murjanatu Musa, a former Phoenix Mercury player, fouling out early in the fourth, Nigeria held firm to seal a memorable victory.
Top scorers for D’Tigress included Ezinne Kalu with 19 points and six rebounds, Promise Amukamara with 16 points, Amy Okonkwo contributing 15 points, and Victoria Macaulay adding 13 points.
For Senegal, Cierra Dillard led all scorers with 26 points, while Ndioma Kane chipped in with 14 points.
With the win, D’Tigress not only advanced to Sunday’s final but also reaffirmed their dominance in African women’s basketball, while also securing a berth in next year’s FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
They now stand just one game away from cementing their legacy with a record-extending seventh AfroBasket title.
