Nigeria’s D’Tigress extended their decade-long unbeaten streak to 28 games with a hard-fought 75-68 win over archrivals Senegal in the semi-finals of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, held at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Under the guidance of Coach Rena Wakama, the six-time African champions entered the clash riding a 27-game winning streak, dating back to the 2015 third-place game in Cameroon. They remained perfect in this year’s tournament, recording dominant victories over Rwanda (92-45), Mozambique (60-55), and Cameroon (83-47) en route to the semis, while also booking a place in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
Senegal, coached by Otis Hughley, started brightly, but Nigeria edged the first quarter 22-17 and took a slim 43-37 lead into halftime after winning the second quarter 21-20. The third quarter saw Senegal mount a fierce comeback, outscoring Nigeria 21-9 to flip the momentum.
However, D’Tigress rallied in the final quarter, with standout performances from Amy Okonkwo and Ezinne Kalu. Despite losing Murjanatu Musa to fouls early in the quarter, Nigeria dominated the final 10 minutes, 23-10 to seal the win.
With the victory, Nigeria advanced to its fifth straight AfroBasket final, aiming to clinch its seventh continental title in Sunday’s championship match.
