BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
Nigeria’s female basketball team, D’Tigress, have emerged winners of the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket after defeating Mali 78–64 in the final held on Sunday at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The historic win marks a fifth consecutive Afrobasket title for the team, making Nigeria the only country to achieve such a feat in the tournament’s history. With the triumph, D’Tigress also secured an automatic qualification spot for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, Germany.
Nigeria advanced to the final after surviving a hard-fought semi-final clash against Senegal. The team needed a strong fourth-quarter performance to edge past the Senegalese and reach their sixth straight final.
The final against Mali offered a unique style with Mali leading 26–21at the end of the first quarter, but Nigeria fought hard to tie the score at 41–41 going into halftime.
Coach Rena Wakama’s team came out dominant in the third quarter, showcasing their depth and quality to lead 61–56 at the buzzer. In the fourth quarter, they shut down Mali’s deffence, allowing only eight points while closing out the game with a 14-point margin.
This latest victory brings Nigeria’s total Women’s Afrobasket titles to seven. The team remains unbeaten in the competition since October 2, 2015, when they last lost to Cameroon.
Nigeria’s first Women’s Afrobasket title came in 2003, followed by another in the next edition. Since 2017, D’Tigress have won every edition of the tournament, sealing their spot in the game and dominating it.
